Frequently Asked Questions

For school age children please contact the School Health Team for sleep support, you can do this online or by phone.

East Sussex School Health service – provides support and advice for primary / secondary school age children with toileting, sleep, behaviour management, healthy eating and lifestyle, puberty and growing up, emotional health and wellbeing, sexual health, drug and alcohol misuse, weight management and complex health needs  Parents can self-refer:

For pre-school aged children please contact your Health Visitor.

You will need to complete tier 1 sleep support from the School Health Team or your Health Visitor, who can then refer to the Sleep Clinic,  if it is appropriate to do so.

You will need to call the Nurse Team on:

and leave a message requesting a prescription. The nurse team will then call you to discuss this.

Please note:
Allow 3 to 4 weeks for your request to be processed.

The following booklet gives help and advice about managing anxiety.

If you have any questions about your child’s education please contact Amaze:

On their website you will find advice and information about:

• Beginners guide to SEND
• Inclusion information for under 5s,
• Information for school age children
• School admissions
• Education Health and Care plans and assessment information
• How to complain about your child’s education
• Bullying, exclusion and discrimination
• 14 and over – rights to education

You can also seek advice from CLASS+ for East Sussex (ISEND Communication, Learning and Autism Support Service).  Call their advice line or send an email:

Visual supports are a communication tool that can be used to support all children but are particularly helpful for children with autism or communication difficulties. A wide range of items can be used as visual supports including pictures, symbols, written words, photographs and objects of reference (tangible objects that represent the activity or event e.g. swimming trunks).

Visual supports can help by providing structure and routine, encouraging independence, building confidence, improving understanding, avoiding frustration and anxiety and providing opportunities to interact with others. They can make communication physical and consistent, rather than fleeting and inconsistent like spoken words can be. They are adaptable, portable and can be used in most situations. Some examples of visual supports include now and next boards, visual timetables, cue cards and objects of reference.

Social stories were created by Carol Gray in 1991. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why.

Social stories can be used to develop self-care skills (e.g. how to wash your hands), social skills (e.g. sharing, how to ask for help) and academic abilities. They can also help someone to understand how others might behave or respond in certain situations and with managing changes to routine and unexpected or distressing events (e.g. absence of teacher, moving house).