Basic and extra support at school.

What does support at school mean?

Your child goes to school and sometimes it turns out that they need something extra to be able to join in well. Then you start a conversation with the school. You look together at what your child needs and what support the school can offer.

Every school offers basic support. That is the support that every school can give by itself to students who need something extra. Does your child need more? Then the school can offer extra support. This can be done by, for example, involving external professionals or asking for help from other organizations.

The school has a duty of care when it comes to tailored education. That means the school investigates what your child needs and looks at how they can provide tailored education. If the school cannot provide the right support itself, it must help find another suitable school. This duty of care lies with the school where your child is registered until your child is officially registered at another school.

The school offers two types of support:

• Basic support: the help that every school can offer as standard. Think of guidance for dyslexia, extra explanation, or temporary teaching in smaller groups.
• Extra support: help that goes beyond the standard. For example, guidance by a specialist, adapted teaching materials, or extra guidance outside the class.

What support does the school provide?

Every school must write down the support they offer in the school guide. You can read here:

• which expertise the school has
• which types of guidance the school can arrange
• and when they ask the partnership tailored education for help.

How do you get extra support?

Do you notice that things are not going well at school for your child? Talk about this with the teacher or mentor. Together you look at what is needed.

First, the school tries small adjustments that belong to the basic support. Here you can think of extra explanation, a quiet place in the class, or guidance by the internal support coordinator.

If these adjustments do not help or are not enough, more is needed. The school discusses this with you and makes a plan. That plan is called a development perspective plan. It states:

• which extra support your child gets
• who does what (school, parents, possible specialists)
• which goals you want to achieve

What can you expect from the school?

The school must involve parents in making the development perspective plan. That means:

• You have the right to consent to the part of the plan in which agreements about help and guidance are made. The school can only record that part after you have agreed.
• The school discusses the development perspective plan at least once a year with you and, if possible, with your child.
• Agreements must be clear and written down so that you both can read back what was discussed.

Make good agreements with the school. Then the chance is also greater that the support really helps.

Who provides the support?

Sometimes the school provides the extra support itself. It may be that the school needs extra money or knowledge. Then the school can ask for help at the partnership tailored education in the region.

That partnership decides if extra support or money is needed. You as a parent do not have to arrange that yourself. The school keeps you informed.