When does a child need a shadow teacher?

Schools look for patterns rather than single incidents. The child needs an adult to start each task and to keep going. Instructions given to the class do not land unless repeated individually. Changes of activity, room or teacher cause distress or refusal. The child is unsafe or unsettled at unstructured times such as break and lunch. Behaviour escalates quickly and the class teacher has to stop teaching to manage it. Peers avoid the child, or the child avoids peers. Academic work is far behind despite adequate ability.

None of these alone means a shadow teacher is required. Two or three together, sustained over weeks, usually do.

The class teacher raises a concern with the inclusion lead, who observes the child in class and reviews any reports you have provided. Many schools then try a period of in-school adjustments first. If those are not enough, the school will meet you and recommend one-to-one support, either from its own staff or through a shadow teacher you hire. In Dubai this process sits within the school's inclusion provision under the KHDA framework; in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain under ADEK; in Sharjah under SPEA; elsewhere under the Ministry of Education. The wording differs; the practical steps are similar.

A diagnosis of autism, ADHD, a learning disability or a speech and language disorder often accompanies the recommendation, but it is the need in class that drives it. Some children with a diagnosis manage well with small adjustments; some without a diagnosis need daily support. Schools will usually ask for an assessment report to plan support and, later, to justify exam accommodations. If you do not have one, ask the school which professionals it accepts reports from.

Before recommending an extra adult, a school should have tried seating changes, visual timetables, simplified instructions, movement breaks, a shared assistant for part of the day, and a behaviour plan. Ask what has been tried and what the result was. If the answer is that nothing has been tried, it is reasonable to ask for a short period of adjustments before you commit to hiring.

Equally, if the school has tried these and the child is still not accessing lessons, delaying the decision usually costs the child a term of learning.

The goal is independence. A good arrangement starts with the level of support the child needs now and reduces it in planned steps: from continuous to lesson-specific, then to check-ins, then to none. For some children that takes a year; for others, several years; a few need support throughout school. Reviews each term should say which stage the child is at and what has to change for support to reduce.

Ask the inclusion lead to put the recommendation in writing with the hours, the goals and the review date. Ask whether the school can provide the support itself. If it cannot, ask what the school requires of an external shadow teacher, then read our guide on how schools add a shadow teacher to their approved-staff list. Once you know the hours and the specialty needed, you can compare what teachers ask for and message verified candidates in your emirate, for example in Sharjah.