Disagreements about your support at school

An image of a young person wit ha hood up and their head in their hands. The background is a cold dark blue colour on the left and a warm orange colour on the right. Either side of the young person are speech bubble shapes made out of crumpled up paper

Do you have disagreements about your support at school?

If you do, then it’s important to know that you have options.

You have the right to be included in decisions about your support and to also be involved in discussions about it.

When you disagree with the support you’re getting at school, there are steps you can take to be more involved and have your say:

Step 1: Talking about your support

➜ To begin with, you could try talking to an adult at school that you trust about your worries. This could be your class, guidance or learning support teacher. However, if you feel more comfortable talking to one of your subject teachers, they should be able to help as well.

➜ If you feel like you can’t talk to anyone at school, then you can try talking to an adult you trust who doesn’t work at your school. For example, a a family member, carer or someone else. They could speak or write to your school on your behalf.

Step 2: Advocacy

➜ If you’re finding it difficult to get your point across about the support you get at school, another option is advocacy.

➜ An advocacy worker can help let others know how you’re feeling and what you want to say. They are independent from the school. This is because it is their job to represent you and to help you get across to your school what you need. They’re also there to help make sure your rights are looked after.

What do they do?

Listen to you and help you shape and share your views. They can go with you to meetings about your support for learning and can even speak for you if you want them to.

Step 3: Dispute Resolution

➜ If talking to the school doesn’t make things better and you still disagree with the support you’re receiving, there are some more options.

➜ You, your parents / carers and the school / local council might need help to solve the problem.

➜ This is called ‘dispute resolution’. A dispute is a disagreement or argument. A resolution is a way to fix something.

What does it mean?

There are different ways that disagreements between you or your parents/carers and a school or local authority can be resolved. All these different ways are called dispute resolutions.

There are 3 different types of dispute resolution for sorting out a disagreement with your school:

➜ Mediation

➜ Independent Adjudication

➜ The Additional Support Needs Tribunal

Need help to sort out a disagreement with the school?

My Rights, My Say can also help you sort out a disagreement with the school. They help pupils aged between 12 and 15 to use their rights to make sure they get the support they need at school.

Contact My Rights, My Say