State Middle school advice please?

[firstchoice]

I am considering changing from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence for my child, now 9.
Currently in primary, with 3 years to go, at a very poor school with no provision for SEN, which clearly child has (dyslexia, poss ASD, anxious)
He would transition at age 11 to a large High School. A good (ish) school but very little provision for SN/SEN (wouldn't get help until exam time and then would have huge battle to get it at all).
If we stayed put child would also have to 'choose' 6 subjects at around age 13 (so I understand?)

I am looking at a state Middle School in England which offers 11 subjects (numeracy, literacy, science, ICT, RE, Languages (1 year Latin, 1 year German, 2 years French), Humanities (hist/geog), Technology, Music, PE, PSHE. Child would leave at age 13 (nearly 14 due to birthdays) and then transition to High School. School is small, (around 100) and has v high % of Support Assistants, (due to previous HT having special interest in helping such children). It is a CofE school.

My feeling is that a small supportive school until age 14 would be way better than a big (not very supportive) school at age 11.

But wondered if anyone had any comments / advice about curriculum generally re Middle / High / Secondary school as it is all a bit of a mystery to me?
thank you.

[CocktailQueen]

It would depend on your child. Would you have to move house to go to the middle school? And would he definitely get in? What are the upper schools like, for after middle school?

DD has just started at middle school and is really enjoying it and doing well academically. It's quite a small nurturing school and we chose it over a bigger, more secondary-feel middle. Have you checked with the middle school that they have SEN provision? And have you spoken to the secondary school too? Surely they must have SEN provision as well. Where are your dc's friends going? Will he miss them if he goes to another school?

[firstchoice]

Yes, would have to sell and move 50m.
Yes, would get place.
Upper schools seem fine.
Yes, middle has great SEN provision.
Dc's friends would stay here, sadly.

[mummytime]

Lots of children move school at that kind of age, and even if very upset at first they quickly make new friends.

Around here we have a two tier system, and my DCs primary go on to 3 Comprehensives + 5 main Independents (a few, up to 7 each year) +7 other Independents (1 or 2 every couple of years) + a range of other local State secondaries + usually a few special schools. They all settle very quickly and make new friends, even though for certain other local primaries they just move up en block.

[KildrummyDriver]

Where are you looking at, OP? Northants are reviewing their three-tier provision at the moment with a view to changing to two-tier. I'm not sure whether Bedfordshire is doing the same. You could find yourself moving into a changing situation with lots of uncertainty if you're not careful.

[firstchoice]

Hi. Northumberland.
I think parts of it are 3 tier, parts 2 tier but I think it should be 'safe' for the next 4 years of middle as it is a small country area and nearest high school is about 12m away.