What difference is an assessment going to make to my child?
This was a valid question I was asked last week at a parent workshop I delivered in a school in the New Forrest to which I replied honestly…
“The truth is I can’t answer that! It’s dependant on so many things”.
- How you as a parent decide to move forward with the outcomes and recommendations.
- The school your child goes to and the knowledge and interventions they have.
- Your perceptions of what doors the assessment will open compared to the doors it will actually open.
- The confidence of the individual involved.
- How determined they are going to be to push and find a way through.
- How hard you and you child decide to fight or work together to ensure your child fulfils their potential. This might not be through education or in school interventions… it could be Fine tuning the things they are BRILLIANT at so these things define their future!
An assessment isn’t a magic wand that suddenly gives access to thousands of pounds worth of funding and specialist knowledge and support… But what it will do is provide you with a list of recommendations and advice that will help you know the best way for your child to learn, where your child is right now in their learning journey and how to move them forward! This can allow you to initiate informed and positive conversations with school settings, teachers and SENCOs, that will improve provision and outcomes for your children and other children in their class.
Sometimes the biggest difference is that you and your child know what you are dealing with and that in itself becomes a tool you can use to navigate and negotiate education and life. Just knowing strengths and areas of weakness can help you work out where to focus, what to push for and what just needs to just be!
The truth is the difference it makes is up to you as the parent and the child as the learner… You choose how impactful it will be.
Wants to discuss assessment with me further? Get in touch and I can help you decide if it’s right for your child right now!