Can anyone suggest a suitable school please?

[WellTidy]

DS has ASD and a severe speech and language delay. He was diagnosed at His autism is described as moderate, but when assessed, he scored significantly across the triad. He will be 4 this summer, and we will defer his entry into reception until September 2017.

He has been doing ABA at home for six months and we've seen amazing progress. He also attends mainstream pre school with a one to one worker for two mornings a week.

Looking ahead to school, I cannot see him in mainstream. I know it would be 18 months off, but I just can't see it as time goes on. The specialist state schools aren't great in my borough, to be honest.

We could afford for him to him to go to a private school and are prepared to love to be near one that would suit him. There are none near us. We live in Bromley. Can anyone recommend one within an hour or so in the train to London, so that we can still get to work with an acceptable commute?

Thank you.

[WellTidy]

He was diagnosed at 3.6yo.

[2boysnamedR]

Jigsaw in Dunsfold is a ABA school by as you can imagine it's a indi. Dunsfold is a long way from a train station too. But that station it's near is just under a hour into London. Very very expensive area to live as well. So I guess that's not much help. Majority of places are LA funded and the school is very keen to help secure that

[WellTidy]

Jigsaw looks fantastic, really amazing. We couldn't afford fees as large as those though, they are really top end, we would never be able to pay in the region of £50k a year for years. Maybe if we moved into that borough, we would have more chance of naming that school in his Plan. It's a gamble.

I am not necessarily looking for a whole ABA approach school, just a school that would be amenable to ABA techniques maybe, but primarily a school that suited DS.

[WellTidy]

DS is at a Montessori pre school, which I like very much. But it doesn't continue into primary. I've looked at Montessori primaries since reading your suggestion, and my nearest is in forest hill, which is a good 45 minutes away. Not impossible, but there are no children with Sen there at the moment. I wonder how welcoming they'd be of DS, but I should ask.

[2boysnamedR]

Only a few parents pay fees at Jigsaw. Might be worth phone ing them but yes if a move is needed it's a massive gamble

[WellTidy]

I will definitely pursue the Montessori option, thank you. I like what they do very much. My eldest NT DS went to Montessori pre school, and he loved it. It was great at teaching him independence and responsibility.

Any other suggestions please?

[mary21]

Riverston school might be worth a look? Don't know it personnaly
Friends very happy with Papillon house. Funded via EHCP
Heard good things about Meath . Would mean a move
Also know people happy with Blossom House
I think the Rise School in Fetham is broadly ABA. Free school on site mainstream comp.

[WellTidy]

All of those schools look amazing, mary. Thank you. It's all very difficult as each would involve a house move, and what if the school didn't work out? We have an older NT DS to consider too.

[mum2anxious]

Have you tried Baston house, its in Bromley. don't know anything about it though other than being aSd school.

[WellTidy]

mum I think his autism is too severe for Baston. Coupled with the severe speech and language delay.

[DigestiveBiscuit]

Bromley used to have a language unit in Downham, because several of DD's friends had been there. Ask your SEN officer in writing, if there are any infant language units in Bromley. It should be in their Local Offer, although I could not immediately find their Local Offer on their website. However, language units can be hard to find on a LA website (here you used to have to know where to look), because they don't want all parents to know about them and then start asking for their child to go there!

Many LAs have closed down their language units, on the pretext of inclusion, although IMO, it was more because mainstream with minimal support is cheaper! There's Blossom House, but Wimbledon would be quite a drive from Bromley. There used to be the Link School at Croydon, but I haven't heard anything about it for years. Moor House at Oxted takes children from 7. You'd need an EHC plan to get him in there - if you haven't applied for one already, I suggest you do it now.

Ring the Afasic Helpline, they might know if there are any language units left in Bromley - they used to have a directory of special schools and units, IDK if they still have it.

[DigestiveBiscuit]

Oh, sorry I forgot about Brent Knoll on Mayow Rd in Sydenham. Have a look at their website and see what you think. Go have a look at it. Lewisham probably would not be happy to see a child from another borough seeking a place there, but if its the only place that can meet your child's SEN, you can appeal to the Tribunal for a place, if either you are in the process of getting an EHC plan, or its a phase transfer from nursery to primary.

Ring IPSEA or SOS!SEN for a discussion on EHC plans, appealing for a place in specialist provision, etc.