[senco-forum] Advice Please- use of EP service

Dear All,

We have just successfully negotiated an arrangement with our local EP
service so that I can have access to advice by email and telephone, and one
half-day visit per term. This is brand new to me (and to the LA) because we
are an independent school.

My questions are to those of you who have had such an arrangement for years,
and they are:

1. To what extent can I ask the EP's advice about a child without the
parents' knowledge? For example, is it OK for the EP to be in a class
observing generally, but at the same time, give me an opinion about child X
or Y? Is it OK for me to describe child X or Y and ask advice? Am I right in
my belief that it would not be OK to perform any assessments without
parents' knowledge? I should perhaps emphasise that I do not seek to avoid
parents - far from it - we have excellent relationships with our parents,
but there are some occasions when I'd like a second opinion before causing
any possible stress or alarm to parents, or some advice about what to
suggest to parents when we do talk to them.

2. Do you have any "dos" and "don'ts" that you have learned from experience,
that would help me to make the best possible use of this facility?

With thanks as always,

Mary