What Should I Ask the SENCo About Dyslexia?
Updated: Oct 28
Before the meeting: decide what you need to know
A meeting with the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo) can feel daunting, particularly when your child is exhausted by schoolwork or you have been told that they are doing well enough. The aim is not to win an argument about a label. It is to build a shared picture of the barriers to learning and agree what will happen next.
Choose two or three concerns to prioritise. You might bring a piece of independent writing, an example of how long homework takes, or a short note of what your child says about reading in class. Ask your child what they would most like to change.
Question 1: What difficulties have teachers noticed?
Ask whether difficulties appear in reading accuracy, reading fluency, spelling, written expression, remembering instructions or completing work in the available time. A pupil may answer confidently in discussion but struggle to show the same understanding on paper.
Another may read accurately yet so slowly that independent study becomes tiring. Ask how teachers distinguish a gap in taught knowledge from a barrier caused by the literacy demands of a task. Specific examples are more useful than a general statement that your child is 'coping'.
Question 2: What is already being provided?
Ask which adjustments are made in everyday lessons, not only in intervention sessions. Does your child receive key vocabulary in advance? Are instructions broken into manageable steps? Is essential information available without extensive copying?
If literacy teaching is being provided, ask who delivers it, how often, which skills it targets and whether sessions are missed for other activities. Support should be matched to the identified need: extra reading practice alone may not address a persistent difficulty learning spelling patterns.
Question 3: How will we know whether it works?
A useful plan describes a starting point, an intended outcome and a review date. For example, the school might monitor whether a pupil can apply a taught spelling pattern in independent writing, rather than simply recording attendance at a spelling group.
For a pupil who struggles to start written tasks, the outcome might concern independence and completion. Ask what evidence will be gathered and when parents and the pupil will be involved in reviewing it. Progress may be uneven, so one short test should not be treated as the whole picture.
Question 4: Is my child receiving SEN Support?
In England, SEN Support is a graduated approach to identifying needs and providing additional or different educational provision. It follows assess, plan, do and review. A child does not have to wait for a private dyslexia diagnosis before a school considers appropriate support.
Ask whether the school has identified special educational needs, what is recorded, and who coordinates the plan. If your child is not on SEN Support, ask what evidence supports that decision and how their difficulties are being addressed through classroom teaching.
Question 5: What does the assessment report change?
If you have a diagnostic report, ask which findings match the school's observations and which recommendations can be put into practice. A report may recommend several options; not every suggestion will suit every pupil or timetable.
The useful conversation is about the need behind each recommendation. For instance, if copying notes uses up the pupil's attention, providing a digital copy may meet the purpose more effectively than expecting faster copying. Ask for any alternative approach to be explained and reviewed.
Question 6: Who should my child ask for help?
Children often know they are struggling but do not want to draw attention to themselves. Agree how your child can request clarification, access a reading aid or check an instruction discreetly.
For a secondary-school pupil, ask how information about agreed adjustments is shared with subject teachers. An excellent support plan is of limited value if it exists only in the SENCo's office. Your child should understand what is available and feel comfortable using it.
Finish with a short written agreement
Before leaving, confirm three things: what will change, who will do it and when you will review it. A brief follow-up email can prevent misunderstandings. If the school needs more time to investigate, agree when you will receive an update.
The SEND Code of Practice referred to here applies to England; the systems in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ. Wherever your child attends school, keep the conversation focused on evidence, provision and how the child experiences learning.