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Bringing Families, Schools and Support Together

Supporting a child who uses Assistive Technology can feel like a journey with lots of moving parts—school expectations, new tools, changing needs, and the everyday challenges of learning. At CENMAC, we know that families play a huge role in helping children thrive, and we want to make sure parents and carers feel just as supported as the students we work with.

That’s why we are so excited to launch our brand‑new CENMAC Parents Hub a welcoming space designed to connect families, build confidence, and make technology feel a little less daunting.

Recently we held our first Parents Hub meeting, and it was wonderful to see parents from several Greenwich schools come together to learn, chat, and share experiences.

The first session was organised by CENMAC Advisory Teachers Carys McCloskey and Maureen De Longhi, who were delighted to welcome families and start building this new community.

Why the Parents’ Hub?

Many families know that CENMAC provides laptops or specialist software, but our support goes far beyond equipment. Children who use Assistive Technology often face challenges such as:

• Difficulty following instructions or staying focused
• Needing extra time to understand or complete work
• Avoiding reading, writing, or maths tasks
• Struggling to express their needs or understand others
• Finding multi‑step instructions overwhelming
• Trouble starting tasks or working independently
• Feeling unsure, unsupported, or reluctant to ask for help

These are common experiences—and families are never alone in navigating them. CENMAC Parents Hub was created to offer guidance, reassurance, and practical help.

A Warm Welcome for Families

The Hub is a friendly, informal space where parents and carers can:

• Meet other families from CENMAC partner schools
• Chat with members of the CENMAC team
• Build confidence using assistive tools at home
• Learn new skills in a relaxed, supportive environment

Our first session took place on Friday 17th April at the CENMAC Learning Hub at Charlton Park Academy. It was lovely to see parents from across Greenwich Local Authority join us.

What The Hub is Offering

CENMAC Parents Hub will run half-termly meetups, each focusing on practical, accessible learning. Future sessions will include:

• General computer skills
• Internet safety
• Home WiFi tips
• Making the most of home devices
• Built‑in accessibility features
• Free online resources such as Doorway and Maths Genie
• Introductions to specialist software used in school (e.g. Clicker)
• Q&A opportunities with the CENMAC team

As the programme grows, we’ll continue to expand the topics based on what families tell us they need.

Some Insights from Our CENMAC Community

We wanted to give parents plenty of space to talk openly, share their experiences and reflect on what’s working — and what isn’t. Once the discussion began, it was clear that families had a great deal they wanted to express. Their honesty, insight and lived experience offered a powerful snapshot of the support their children receive day‑to‑day. It’s already helping shape how we strengthen the Parents Hub moving forward.

We learned that parents really appreciate CENMAC’s expertise, but many feel support isn’t consistently implemented in schools, often due to staff confidence and capacity. To address this issue we plan to increase our training and coaching programs.

Families described sometimes feeling isolated and would welcome stronger community links, including a clearer CENMAC presence alongside groups like Greenwich SEND Voice and other community SEN support groups. Parents also want clearer links between CENMAC recommendations, EHCP outcomes and their child’s individual needs so they can better understand and support learning at home.

Greenwich SEND Voice

A lovely outcome from our parent meet‑up was being introduced to a new connection through one of the families involved in Greenwich SEND Voice. After hearing about our work, they invited us to host a stall at their SEND Information Marketplace at Woolwich Library.

The event took place at Woolwich Library and brought together a wide range of local services, including representatives from the Royal Borough of Greenwich and NHS partners. CENMAC was represented by Carys, who was joined by Advisory Teacher David Howard. It was a brilliant opportunity to connect directly with families and professionals across the borough.

The event brought together local services, families and professionals, giving us a brilliant chance to raise awareness of CENMAC. Many parents told us they hadn’t heard of us before but were keen to learn more, highlighting just how important it is to keep building our presence. We also made valuable links with other organisations, opening the door to future collaboration and wider support for families, and these conversations highlighted a strong demand for guidance, resources, and practical help, reinforcing the importance of raising awareness of our work.