Practical Support Tools

Tip: Be open with your line manager about caring responsibilities and flexibility needs.

Tip: Arrange reliable cover for sickness or emergencies.

Tip: Contact People Directorate Systems Team or Student Records Team for support with flexible arrangements.

Example: Emailing Rachel Olden, Curriculum and Student Information Manager, enabled two colleagues to be added to a module to cover sickness.

Tip: Seek guidance from Faculty EDI Reps when navigating flexible working.

Resource: Flexible Working for Parents and Carers – Information Guide

Tip: Persistence and assertiveness can significantly accelerate access to support.

Tip: Use Subject Access Requests to obtain full records and better understand a school’s actions.

Tip: Connect with other carers to learn effective approaches and next steps more quickly.

Tip: Check the SEN Register status regularly and ensure continuity across school transitions.

Resource: Support for Carers Beyond Oxford Brookes – an overview of UK financial, practical, wellbeing, educational, employment and legal support available to carers, including national entitlements and what carers can request from local authorities, schools and employers.

Tip: Use a “What You Need to Know About Me” passport to help children transition between schools/settings smoothly (advocacy tool).

Tip: Learn school systems: where to raise concerns, how to book appointments, and how to monitor communication channels (school advocacy for parents).

Resource: Visiting Schools: SEND Questions and Considerations (Google Doc) — a practical guide shared by a colleague with extensive experience in primary education and SEND advisory work, to support parents and carers when visiting or choosing schools. 

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App: Messaging apps like WhatsApp (voice messaging in particular): staying connected when time is limited.

App: Finch - Self-care app which includes various built-in tools for mindfulness, such as a mood journal, breathing exercises, and a focus timer.

App: Forest – supports focus by limiting screen distractions.

App: Routinery – helps build predictable morning/evening routines.

App: Medito – free meditation app for stress and anxiety reduction.

App: Calm – guided sleep, mindfulness and relaxation.

App: YouTube/Instagram/TikTok visual timers – countdown videos to support transitions and structure.

App: Spotify – grounding, relaxation or sensory-break playlists.

App: Google Keep – reminders, notes, gentle prompts for breaks or hydration.

Digital tool: Apple/Android Reminders – built-in reminder apps for self-care and time management.

Tip: Teach online safety, including dangers of sharing identifiable photos, to avoid online risks such as shaming or blackmail

Tool: Loop Earplugs or Calmer Kids – reduce noise sensitivity and support focus, calm and grounding.

Tool: Foam or silicone earplugs – alternative low-cost sensory protection.

Tool: Fidget toys – support regulation, grounding and focus during stressful moments.

Tool: Weighted items (e.g. weighted lap pads, weighted blankets) – provide deep-pressure input to reduce anxiety and improve calm.

Tool: Visual timers (e.g. sand timers, physical countdown timers) – help with transitions, time awareness, and reducing anxiety around routine changes.

Tool: Calm strips or textured stickers – for tactile sensory grounding.

Tool: Chewigems or chewable sensory jewellery – for oral sensory regulation (useful for both children and adults who stim orally).

Tool: Sensory bottles or calm-down jars – visual soothing and grounding.

Tip: Talk when they are ready, not when you are. (Even if late at night — responsiveness matters more than timing.)

Tip: Remember your own teenage years — context shapes empathy. (Today’s teens live in a different world.)

Tip: Keep perspective: parenting is not always about us; teens are navigating complex internal worlds.

Tip: Use humour — it defuses tension and helps teens regulate emotions.

Tip: Model making mistakes and how to repair them. (Shows teens that imperfection and recovery are normal.)

Tip: Trust time and patience: difficult phases can resolve naturally; avoid over-intervening.

Tip: Reframe “taxi service” time — car rides can be valuable bonding moments, especially during school runs.

Tip: Use a phone or alarm to remind yourself to take regular breaks, drink water, and step away from your screen

Tip: Know your legal rights and check Brookes’ flexible working policy.