Parent Communication Plan for Pupil Details and Education Arrangements

This plan applies to maintained and academy primary and secondary schools in England. Its SEND support and local-authority liaison provisions apply where the relevant circumstances arise.

Regular communication with parents

The school should regularly encourage parents, through existing communication channels such as regular emails and newsletters, to inform the school whenever changes occur to their child’s personal details or education arrangements.

Communications should explain that parents should notify the school of relevant changes and should use existing channels suitable for the school community. Notifications received should be processed in support of the school’s admission-register and children-missing-education arrangements.

Notification that a pupil will normally live at another address

When a parent notifies the school that a pupil will normally live at another address, whether in addition to or instead of the current address, the school must record in the admission register:

the new address;

the full name of each parent with whom the pupil will normally live; and

the date when the pupil will start normally living at the new address.

The notification received from the parent and the corresponding admission-register entry should be retained as records of the change.

Support where unmet SEND needs affect attendance or participation

Where a pupil’s SEND needs may not be adequately supported and this may be contributing to reduced attendance or withdrawal from school, the school should work closely with the pupil and the pupil’s parents to put appropriate support in place.

The support should be kept under regular review. Where a child with an EHC plan has significant levels of unmet need, the school should liaise with the local authority about whether an early review of the plan is needed.

The school should retain records of discussions with the pupil and parents, support and adjustments provided, review dates and outcomes, attendance impact, and any liaison with the local authority about an early EHC-plan review.