School (independent) seems unable or unwilling to accomodate ds, 12 with SEN. When wld you decide to change school?

[kissmyheathenass]

Ds has dyslexia, processing and handwriting issues. His teachers all acknowledge is he is far from reaching anywhere near his potential because he canot keep up in class. We chose this school because we hoped the small classes would be of benefit.

These things piss me off:

-Ds dropped French as he was struggling with learning both French and Spaninsh from scratch. The 2 free lessons a week were meant to be used to revise spanish but he just sits at the back of the french class daydreaming.

-He hates team sport (possibly mildy dyspraxic) and they do 5 hours a week of it!

-As he is slow to get changed for PE, he now has to get changed alone in the disabled toilet.

-He has remained on the same level/sublevel in English for a whole year yet school havent intervened at all.

-The school day ends at 5 pm with the last hour being unsupervised prep. A total waste of an hour a day for ds who needs direction and supervision.

All things considered, I do wonder why we are paying for ds to feel increasingly stressed and to suffer increasingly low self esteem.

The thing is, he has some good friends there, the teachers are mostly lovely and the school is the only one near us so changing school might mean moving house.

Is it time to change?

[DameEnidsOrange]

If they are not going to accomodate his needs then I would move him.

I stuck with a school for years because DS felt comfortable and had friends, but it was to the detriment of his education and social development and has affected how he has been able to progress at secondary.

The difference in him in another school was incredible.

[kissmyheathenass]

We never moved his primary because he had friends and didnt want to move. In hindsight moving him to a better primary amy have made all the difference. I dont want to make that mistake again. When did you move your ds?

[ArthurandGeorge]

I would move him now. You are paying for "Brand X" education. Your son needs "Brand Y" and the school can't or won't meet his needs.

A waste of your money and your son's education.

[LynetteScavo]

I too would be pissed off.

I wouldn't expect what you have mentioned to be happening in a state school, and I would be if I were paying for this.

Would you consider a state school?


If you are going to move house for a school, I would look for one which is dyslexia friendly.

[kissmyheathenass]

State schools are fine - our other children attend state primary. It's due to ds' SEN that we chose a small school with small classes. I thought it would benefit him but it clearly doesnt. He needs more targetted help, ironically probably provided better in a state school.

[seeker]

When you say it is the only school near you, what do you mean?

[kissmyheathenass]

He has a recent Ed Psych report (done friday) identifying mild dyslexia, processesing issues and very poor handwring (hard too read and sloww at 6 words per minute). Would the report be enough to base an appeal on? All the decent schools are oversubscribed. Our local school is a boys school with a very poor reputation and he would be eaten alive there.

[kissmyheathenass]

Seeker, the catchement school is boys only - a boy got killed there in a fight last year. Its rough and locally has a terrible reputation. There is also a catholic school (we are staunch athiests here) and a grammar school (no chance of that!). Most of his year 6 friends moved to better catchment areas.

[seeker]

Sorry, cross post.

I think you should make an appointment with his form tutor and whoever is responsible for AEN. And put the point you make here to them and ask what they are going to do about it. (I wouldn't make too much of the sport thing, by the way- not liking something is no reason for not doing it, in my harsh opinion!)

Then go and ask the same questions at the state school. Then decide. If you decide to move, you could always use the money you save on some specialist extra help for him.

[shushpenfold]

How near are the other independent school who might be able to support him better? Are they hours away?

[seeker]

Cross post -again! Where do girls go?

[kissmyheathenass]

Tough, the head at ds' school is a self-important arse who is determined to get the school in to the country's top-10 schools. He is very focussed on the sports and the accolades awarded to students. This serves to make ds feel even worse as he never wins anything, is never chosen for anything and is in "thick group" (his words ) for everything. Poor sod.


Seeker, girls go to an all girls school (which is good), grammar or all girls indy. Its the boys who are really badly catered for here.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

I would move your son now as his additional support needs are not and will not be met in this particular establishment.

Unfortunately they may have smaller class sizes but that is of little matter if the additional support is not either there or up to scratch. This school seem unwilling and unable to meet his needs.

[shushpenfold]

Gosh - it's a no brainer....move him...the head sounds awful!

[Onedayuponedaydown]

Are there other indies in your area?

Would you mind sharing what area you are in, as others maybe able to help you?

[Savonarola]

Am I right in assuming he's in year 7 (having just moved schools)?

As the Ed Psych report reached you only on Friday, the the recommendations in it are new to you and unknown to the school. I think it is worth going back to the school, discussing it with them and seeing if there is a viable way forward.

I'd be looking for support for a move to laptop, specific individual or small group work focussed on identified gaps in his English (NB: some, but not all, private schools make an additional charge for this, find out which yours does before he starts - external tutor might be cheaper); proper use of the free periods rather than just sitting in the back of a French class (doing a touch typing programme might be a far more useful use of time).

Depending on what they say and, more importantly, what they do, you will have a better feel on whether you stay with the school. As they'll probably have the usual clause about one clear term's notice (or pay in lieu) you may as well have your best shot at fixing it where he is as you'll have to pay up until Easter anyhow.

[Narked]

I'd move him. It doesn't really matter what type of school it is. What matter is how well it caters for this particular child's needs. Could you investigate what support your DS would be entitled to in a state school and find out if any of the schools locally have a good reputation for dealing with your DS's issues? Maybe look in to independent schools in the wider area that he could get to by train/school coach service?

[kissmyheathenass]

Thanks for all your messages.
Onedayup, we are in Dorset. There are no viable alternatives locally as far as I know but there are schools a few miles away, several of which have very good Ofsteds and could probably be travelled to by bus.

Savonarola, ds is in Year 8. At my request he was assessed a year ago when he started in year 7. I asked the learning support department teacher to assess him for possible dyslexia. She did a full assessment and said he wasnt. On friday, he saw a private educational psychologist who's tests concluded ds has dyslexia, processing and handwriting issues.

My gut feeling is the school is ill-equipped for SEN and ds would fit in better somewhere else. The upheaval involved makes my heart sink tho!

[Chandon]

I have a similar boy, a bit younger, and moved hm to private a year ago.

I think unsupervisd prep is pointless, can you pick him up at 4?

Cam he sit in the front of French class instead of the back?

During football, can he be in goal?

I would have a calm, no guns blazing, meeting with the head or tutor to discuss these points one by one and find a solution. Private schools should be a bit more accommodating

[Savonarola]

Thanks. I'd assumed he was newer to the school, and had a vague hope that some of it might be settling in problems combined with ascertaining the right level of support.

As that's not the case, then I think you probably do need to be looking to move to a school that will support him more appropriately. But take your time - you don't want to go from frying pan to fire.

In the meantime, you do need to work on improving his lot in the current shambles school. Do have a think about getting the unproductive sessions timetabled for French turned into touchtyping sessions, or at least times with structured work, not just vague 'Spanish revision'.

[shushpenfold]

Kiss - lots of good states schools in Dorset and some decent indie's who are also more suited to SEN. If you're looking at indie for senior level, have you considered moving to a prep which then has a senior to reduce the change factor?...lots of his new friends would then be moving on to the senior too, which would lessen the shock of moving again in his final prep year.

We're in Dorset too - mine are in a fabulous prep school currently and we're looking for a senior school to suit our ds (who has LS but is blossoming because his school is brill) We travel a fair distance to get them to it....sadly necessary in this part of the world.

The benefit of state sector for your ds of course would be less sport (and of not having to find the fees!) which might make him happier than any senior indie....they do sport and then some, although the more forgiving and sensible ones make sure that the non-sporty kids get to enjoy it too with far less pressure and more emphasis on joining in rather than achieving.

Good luck with the decision,

[Narked]

Upheaval is never ideal, but, if you're going to do it, it's better to do it this year, so he has a year to settle before GCSEs (or whatever the government have introduced by then!)