What makes a successful partnership?

The partnership with your school will work best when everybody:

• accepts responsibility for meeting the special education needs of your child
• has a view on how these needs should be met, and works together to find the answer
• works with others in a way that concentrates on your child, not the personalities involved or the relationship
• presents their views openly, sensitively and honestly
• shares the responsibility for making decisions
• seeks to achieve the best outcome for your child
• deals with problems as they arise.

It is important that everybody in the partnership is fully aware of their roles and responsibilities.

The role of the school

The school's management responsibility is to:

• welcome and enrol your child as they would all other students
• provide a safe place for learning
• establish a comprehensive special education policy with clear priorities based on the National Education Guidelines, which include the National Education Goals, the Foundation Curriculum Policy Statements, the National Curriculum Statements and the National Administration Guidelines, and the Special Education Policy Guidelines
• provide programmes and teaching resources for students with special education needs through special education resourcing and school operational funding
• support teachers and other staff in their professional development in such areas as assessment and evaluating progress
• inform parents or caregivers about the special education services available and how these can be accessed
• work with you, specialists and other agencies to assess your child's learning strengths and needs
• where appropriate, develop an Individual Education Programme (IEP) for your child, and review it at least twice a year in a meeting with you, your child's teacher and specialists as needed
• provide and oversee staff to teach students with special education needs for each school day. For example, a student should not be sent home because a staff member, such as a teacher aide, is absent
• provide frequent reports of your child's progress
• regularly report, monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of learning programmes
• ensure staff are appropriately trained and work professionally at all times.
• It is important for everyone to recognise your child is just as much a part of the school as any other child.

Your role as parent or caregiver

Your responsibility as parent or caregiver is to:

• ensure your child is enrolled and regularly attends school until they turn at least 16 years old
• let the school know if your child will not be attending on a particular day. This is particularly important where the school operates a monitoring system to ensure students arrive at school safely
• inform the school ahead of time if you need to take your child out of school for a special reason, such as a medical appointment
• work with your school to identify your child's needs, develop appropriate programmes and monitor their progress
• provide the school with essential information such as particular medical, dietary, exercise or personal care requirements for your child, and where to reach you in an emergency
• communicate to resolve problems as they emerge and to share ideas about what is working well
• take part in the development of Individual Education Programmes (IEPs), goal-setting, specific learning programmes and follow-up activities at home.

If your child receives individual support, it is a good idea to have a notebook that travels between school and home with your child. Issues and day-to-day events can be recorded to let everyone know what is happening in your child's life. This could include family events, things that are coming up at school, meeting dates, food likes and dislikes, how your child slept last night and medication details. Other ideas include setting up a regular 10 - 15 minute meeting or phone call each fortnight or month with the school's special education needs coordinator, teacher or principal to discuss progress. Talk to school staff and work out something that suits you both.