You know your child well. You know how things go at home. And you know what your child needs. Instead, the school sees how things are going at school. So discuss with the school what they can do and what you can do. Together you form a team.

The school guide and school support profile (SOP) state what help the school can provide. And what, if anything, you can do to help the school.

Do you think your child needs extra help? Are you worried? If so, discuss this with your child’s teacher. Or contact the in-house counselor (IB’er). The one at school ensures that children receive extra help.

You can make an appointment to discuss your concerns. Then briefly tell them what you want to talk about. During the conversation, explain what your concerns are about. You will also be told what the teacher or IB’er thinks, how he or she thinks your child is doing.

Does the school invite you to an interview? Then you can ask some questions, such as:

• What is the purpose of the conversation?
• What points would you like to discuss?
• Who else is at the talk?

Before the conversation, think about what you want to discuss yourself. Think about what you are worried about and what is going right. It is helpful to write this down for yourself. You then use the notes in the conversation.

You may always bring someone you trust to the interview. This could be the other parent, someone else who knows your child well, or a counselor. During the interview, always agree on what happens after the interview:

• Who is going to do what?
• When is there another consultation?
• How will you work well together as a parent and school?

Ask that the school email or send a report of the conversation. This contains the agreements you made with the school. You can, of course, take your own notes during the interview.