FAQs for Parents

The curriculum we offer consists of the Brigance Inventory of Early Development and the Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills that lay emphasis on the development of exceptional students’ Physical, Communication, Independence and Socialization skills and help develop measurable goals and objectives and monitor progress.

As a center, we promote a safe and calm environment. All of our staff is trained in the principles of protecting our students from harm. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure students are kept safe and happy. We ensure that any actions that might harm students are reported and investigated. We will not accept any verbal abuse or behavior from visitors, which is not calm to protect our vulnerable students. At our center, we also have CCTV cameras installed in all therapy and classrooms, sensory room, soft play room and playground to keep our students, staff and visitors safe. Though visitors are not allowed to enter classes during work sessions, parents are welcome to watch their child on these cameras if they wish. We ask all our visitors to:

• Close gates and doors when visiting the center.
• Respect that we have some students who cannot communicate with unfamiliar adults.
• Understand and be sensitive to the needs of our students, that your entry to their environment is a change to their usual routine which may cause them stress.

Basma Centre has a Confidentiality Policy. We ensure that all information regarding a student’s program or personal data is used effectively and sensitively within the centre only. Strictly, no information is shared with outside agencies without parents’ consent.

We expect that our students attend all sessions promptly in the center’s approved term dates. The only exception to this rule is when students need to attend medical or dental appointments. If your child is sick and needs to stay at home, please let us know as soon as possible by phone or email.

As a center, we appreciate promptness. The students might miss on the valuable sessions if they are late.

Homework for students is available for those parents who wish their child to undertake additional study at home. The activities available range from academic worksheets to support learning to additional practice at targets.

We request parents to notify the center in advance about any hospital or other medical appointments by phone or email.

Please notify us immediately if your child has any infectious disease. Students also should not attend any sessions if they have any contagious conditions such as flu, diarrhea or fever. They will not benefit from being at center if they are ill and may pass on the infection to others. In addition, if your child has diarrhea and/or vomiting, which require a 48-hour period clear from symptoms before your child returns to the center. Basma reserves the right to notify parents and ask them to collect their child if they are unwell.

If your child becomes ill during the day we will telephone you and if necessary ask you to collect your child. In the case of a minor accident our nurse will deal with injuries and you will be notified. For anything more serious we will contact you immediately and arrange for your child to be transferred to the local hospital by ambulance for treatment

If a student requires medication while at school, the parents must complete a consent form giving details of the medication and instructing us to administer it. This should be sent to centre with the medication which should be in the container that it is clearly sealed, labelled and marked for the attention of the teacher. As a safety precaution medicines must be brought to centre by parents or other carers. Under no circumstances must a child sent to centre with the medicine, nor should it be put in the child's bag.

6 of our staff members are trained in First Aid at SIDRA Medical Centre. In case of medical emergency our staff will immediately dial 999 for emergency treatment. We will then contact you and will remain with your child until you arrive.

Students with behavioural challenges will be subject to Behaviour Intervention Plans which will be shared with parents. As the safety of all students and staff is our priority, we will, if necessary, remove a child to a quiet room with staff from their class until the behaviour calms to safeguard the child him/herself and others.

We have a ‘Healthy Eating’ policy in our center. This means that we encourage parents to send nutritious and appealing foods, such as fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy foods and grain products for their child’s snack.

For students with an allergic condition, the centre requires parents / guardians to provide written note from a doctor (GP), which explains the condition, defines the allergy triggers and any required medication. Teachers and teacher assistants of those students and key staff are required to review and familiarize themselves with the medical information. Action Plans with a recent photograph for any students with allergies will be posted in relevant rooms with parental permission. Where students with known allergies are participating in school excursions or activities that involve food served by external agencies, the risk assessments will include this information.