If your child has Down Syndrome, contact the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo).

The SENCo can refer your child to our Support Team for Education in Primary and Secondary (STEPS) so we can arrange the type of support your child needs.

How we support your child in school

We will observe and meet your child at school alongside any staff who may be involved.  

After the initial observation, we will arrange a meeting to discuss what support we can offer with you, the SENCo, class teacher and any support staff. 

The school will have an allocated outreach worker who will visit your child every term and give ongoing support to your child and school staff. The outreach worker will also monitor your child’s progress and change any targets and approaches if needed.

We can attend transition meetings when your child moves schools and annual reviews if your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan.

We also run training sessions for parents or carers of students with Down Syndrome.

How we support school staff

We train school staff to: 

  • assess children with complex needs, such as Down Syndrome in the classroom 
  • promote the inclusion of children with Down Syndrome 
  • support children with Down Syndrome with literacy, numeracy, speech and language, behaviour, handwriting and assistive technology 
  • use the STEPS Word Up Approach to learn how to read and develop vocabulary 

We also provide resources such as story boxes that support literacy, speech and language development. Schools can borrow these alongside any relevant resources once staff have received training.

Useful documents

Down Syndrome support in the early years and beyond.pdf
PDF ‐ 1.09 MB
Behaviour information sheet.pdf
PDF ‐ 58.56 KB
Fine motor skills in children with Down Syndrome.pdf
PDF ‐ 149.17 KB
Starting primary school.pdf
PDF ‐ 137.2 KB

If you want to give us feedback, you can take part in consultations and engagement activities. 

You can also find resources to support your child’s learning at home. 

Services and organisations that can help