Your Child, Your Voice: Early Support & Advocacy 5-Week Workshop

Arrive from 10:45 | Sessions 11:00–12:00
Each session is supportive, practical, and focused on helping you understand and advocate for your child with confidence. Important: This workshop offers early-stage guidance for parents navigating support in primary schools. It is not legal advice or therapy.

10:45–11:00 – Arrive, make drinks, settle in
10:55–11:05 – Welcome and what we’ll focus on today
11:05–11:15 – Simple ideas about how children learn, communicate, and experience school
11:15–11:45 – Talking things through using real-life parent experiences and questions
11:45–12:00 – Practical take-home ideas to try during the week

At the end of the 5 weeks, parents will receive a free personalised report summarising what has been covered across the five sessions. This report will include practical guidance tailored to your child’s needs and your family situation, giving you a clear reference to support conversations with school staff and help you take confident next steps.

If you’ve started wondering whether your child might need extra support, this session helps you make sense of what you’re seeing. We’ll look at how schools identify and respond to additional needs and how parents fit into that process.

We’ll cover:

• How schools recognise and respond to additional needs
• The early stages before assessments or EHCPs
• What teachers are looking for in the classroom
• Where parents’ voices matter most

Before advocating for support, it helps to understand your child’s strengths and challenges more clearly. This session focuses on observing your child in everyday life and recognising patterns that can help explain their needs.

We’ll cover:

• How to notice patterns in learning, behaviour, and communication
• Understanding strengths as well as challenges
• Simple ways to describe what you see
• Turning everyday observations into useful information

Many parents worry about saying the wrong thing or not being taken seriously. This session focuses on communicating clearly and confidently with teachers and school staff.

We’ll cover:

• How to talk about your child’s needs without feeling confrontational
• Preparing for meetings with school staff
• Asking helpful questions
• Feeling confident in your role as your child’s advocate

By this stage, you’ll have a clearer picture of your child and the school system. This session helps you turn that understanding into a simple, practical plan for support.

We’ll cover:

• Identifying the most helpful support strategies
• Thinking about small changes that make a big difference
• Working collaboratively with school staff
• Creating a clear next-steps plan

Navigating school support can feel overwhelming. This final session focuses on looking after yourself while continuing to support your child.

We’ll cover:

• Managing uncertainty while waiting for support
• Staying calm and confident in conversations with school
• Building a support network around you
• Moving forward with clarity and confidence

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Tend Collective Community Interest Company