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Welcoming new child and family to our school

meganlee
over 11 years ago

Hi everyone,

I have been a teacher for several years and teach at a mainstream primary school. 

My new class in September will include a child with autism.

Thankfully a statement is already in place for 20hrs support and we have a lovely and experienced TA in place.

I was hoping for some advice on how best to start off my relationship with this child and their family. More focusing on the family really as I know each child with asd is unique and their specific needs, abilities and interests vary.

I know that sending your child to school for the first time is a scary experience in itself. What would you have liked your child's teacher to do, ask or offer?

Is there anything I should avoid? (I'm thinking of the type of 'well-meaning' things which actually cause upset.)  

I also have the opportunity to reorganise my classroom completely in September as we are having building work during August. If anyone has any suggestions for spaces I should create in the classroom or things I should avoid that would be great.

My main concern is that this child should have a safe and happy space to explore and grow for their first year in school and that their parents should feel welcomed and supported by our school.

 

Parents
  • over 11 years ago

    Hi Liv,

    I'm sorry you had a bad experience at school. Encouraging friendships is good but singling out one child and assigning every child in the class to be 'friends' with them in a rota is not the way to do it. It's a recipe for isolation and embarrassment. I try to encourage friendships by creating lots of opportunities for children to play in different groups and let things develop organically.   

    I find the fact that the 'rota' was shared with all the parents very disturbing and completely inappropriate. Our school policy (and I assumed it was wide-spread) is NEVER to discuss a child with anyone other than their parent/guardian.

    (names, ages, gender and other details in my posts are altered/obscured to protect my identity and that of 'T')

    Sometimes we do need to educate the children about medical conditions of classmates (allergies, epilepsy, diabetes etc) but I would always discuss this with the parents and child. Some children hate to be the focus of attention so we'd approach it in general terms and others appreciate the chance to explain things in their own way. I once taught a young child with diabetes who ran an amazing Q&A session and demo of blood test for the class.

    Thank you for sharing your experience with me :) 

    I'm still doing a lot of planning for next term (so much to do - so little time) but I am heading off on holiday soon. I will do my best to turn my 'teacher brain' off and have a rest :)

     

     

Reply
  • over 11 years ago

    Hi Liv,

    I'm sorry you had a bad experience at school. Encouraging friendships is good but singling out one child and assigning every child in the class to be 'friends' with them in a rota is not the way to do it. It's a recipe for isolation and embarrassment. I try to encourage friendships by creating lots of opportunities for children to play in different groups and let things develop organically.   

    I find the fact that the 'rota' was shared with all the parents very disturbing and completely inappropriate. Our school policy (and I assumed it was wide-spread) is NEVER to discuss a child with anyone other than their parent/guardian.

    (names, ages, gender and other details in my posts are altered/obscured to protect my identity and that of 'T')

    Sometimes we do need to educate the children about medical conditions of classmates (allergies, epilepsy, diabetes etc) but I would always discuss this with the parents and child. Some children hate to be the focus of attention so we'd approach it in general terms and others appreciate the chance to explain things in their own way. I once taught a young child with diabetes who ran an amazing Q&A session and demo of blood test for the class.

    Thank you for sharing your experience with me :) 

    I'm still doing a lot of planning for next term (so much to do - so little time) but I am heading off on holiday soon. I will do my best to turn my 'teacher brain' off and have a rest :)

     

     

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