What's a normal level of communication at secondary school?

[DamsonGin]

Our DS1 is at a large mainstream secondary, he has additional needs, including around memory and organisation.

I've tried to step back as much as I can and encourage his independence but am finding the lack of communication from school quite hard.

The Senco is good if I need to discuss something specific but there seems to be very little proactive communication from the school in general about what's on when, homework info on the parent app is sporadic, he/we don't always get messages about what he needs for school and what's running or not (to the point that he's missed out on things). There's sometimes a termly newsletter but that's not helpful if it just tells you what you've just missed. Only letters otherwise are paper copies about specific trips and I have a feeling we have missed at least one.

Is this normal? I'm trying to balance DS / us knowing what we need to with encouraging him to find it out himself, but the latter isn't always that straightforward. I'm also conscious that yes this is different to primary where I could catch his teacher most days in the yard if needed (which they were fine about).

As far as I can see, secondary schools tend to mainly communicate directly with pupils, very little sent to parents directly.

I had a disorganised dyspraxic, and indeed she missed out on things by not seeing posters up around school or in departments etc.

If your DS has got identified needs you should be able to get the school teachers to write homework directly into his planner or at least check he has it down correctly. Similarly messages given out in tutor time.

If there is a particular department where he would want to do extra curricular stuff, then you could ask for them to proactively communicate with you to help him to not miss out.

Keep scaffolding as much as you need at home. Don't get brainwashed by people who tell you he should be able to do it all by himself. If he needs support, then give it.

Does he have a school email account. If he does do they send information to that account. My DS school does and they get emails about which PE kit to take, non uniform days, off timetable days and room changes etc . If so could you set it up so that you get his email account on your phone/PC so that you can see it directly. I do this for DS and just keep a check on it. I try not to remind him too much as he has no excuse for not organising himself but it your case it could help keep a check.

To be fair though DS school do seem to be very good with communication in general so maybe this is not common.

Very little communication. I only know whats going on through the year group parent whatsapp groups. Lots of communication around sport though which my ds hates

Meant to ask him about a student email but that moment's passed, and it's the last day of term tomorrow so I'll see about getting in touch with his form tutor after Easter. I think probably a lot of messages get passed on through but he's never written anything in his planner from that, though is always early to school so in theory shouldn't have missed anything.

And I don't know what to do about the sport, where comms seem to be lacking the most. I've already tried once this year to ask what kit they need when, I think there's just an expectation they just take all of it for each PE lesson, which weighs a fair bit.

At DDs school they can keep PE kit in lockers (which is what DD does) or just in a cupboard in the tutor room.

I agree contacting tutor after Easter sounds like a good plan.

No lockers, no student email, not a great deal of confidence in the tutor but will drop an email after Easter.