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Getting started

Finding the right school for your child is enough of a minefield, but what if it’s obvious that the school isn’t doing enough for them? Time and time again, we come across parents at their wits’ end, unable to track down the best provision for their child with additional needs such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD or autism. Armed with expert guidance from our specialist SEND team, it’s our job to demystify the terminology, identify the signs and help parents access the right support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

We have given our SEND seal of approval to any schools featured on the site (both mainstream and specialist) that we feel stand out from the crowd when it comes to exceptional SEND support – look out for the SEND badge around the site, and visit our SEND Schools Guide for our curated list of the schools going above and beyond with their learning support provision.

So, where should you begin? We unpick the basics below.

Learning support news and features

From our in-depth reviews of the UK’s top SEND schools to our honest, insider advice on everything from tackling loneliness to dealing with tricky school transitions, our learning support features have been penned by market-leading specialists who are here to help steer you through the process and give your child the best possible start in life.

Looking for older news items? View our news archive here

Ask our SEND expert

Perhaps your child is struggling at school – and you’re tearing your hair out about how you can best support them to achieve as much as they possibly can? Or maybe they’ve already been diagnosed with a specific learning difficulty and you need help untangling a knotty issue? Talk ¿´Æ¬¿ñÈË’s specialist SEND team has all the answers and is here to help: email your SEND-related questions to talk@talkeducation.com and we’ll publish the team’s response here (all questions will, of course, remain anonymous).

Looking for older news items? View our news archive here

Learning support schools advice

Here at Talk ¿´Æ¬¿ñÈË, it’s our goal to help parents feel confident in their final decision on which SEND school to send their child to.  

There are a variety of different types of schools and educational settings for SEND students, but it can be overwhelming trying to understand the differences between them. Special schools are specifically designed around educating children with learning difficulties, while mainstream schools can sometimes cater to children with special educational needs, teaching children separately in special units or assigning a dedicated SEND staff member to provide support in the same classes as other pupils.  

We have a team of specialist SEND-school and college-search educational consultants on hand to help parents seeking advice and support, with a strong track record in supporting families to access successful placements in both mainstream and specialist settings. Together we will help you to identify schools that meet your child’s needs, draw up shortlists of potential schools or colleges and help with applications.