Boarding schools for kids with (mild) SEN?

Do you think your son would be happy to go to boarding school? And happy to return after a break?

Have a look at Bethany School, Goudhurst, Kent has an excellent reputation for nurturing children with dyslexia.

You could try asking on the SN chat board. Though I have a similar DS who is 14, very bright with ASD, very young for age, also sport resistant at school but loves it once he does it (well as long as he wins and apart from getting changed) and he would not cope with any kind of boarding school but maybe your child is different and maybe they have experience of being away from home and coping. In the state sector there's not really any specialist provision for kids like this who are bright and ASD, they struggle in mainstream or are at home out of education where they often don't fair well. EHCPs aren't easy to get and also think you would need to be located in the UK - we've been trying since y7 for DS, just about to get one by end of y9, the school has to prove it can't meet their needs so he would need to be in a state school first which you would need to live here for so don't think that is a viable option if you don't want to move back. They also will only pay for part of the cheapest option and that's highly unlikely for a bright child with mild SN to be residential boarding at private school. I've never heard of anyone getting offered private at all without about £10k in legal fees being paid and a long legal fight.

We looked at private schools and they are excellent for the academic focus and smaller class sizes but they aren't always very tolerant of SN if there will be any disruption to lessons. I know someone who sent their's to a weekly boarding school for ASD as she couldn't cope with the child at home. But most of the ones I know are very young for age and very attached to their Mums who often end up having to stop work / work very part-time hours to help them and the schools. I did ask a private school if we paid for a TA would they allow that and they were fine with that but it obviously would add £20k or so to costs but would bring some stability and a person who would always be there for him. I think the specialist fees are higher by quite a bit. In the end we went with state and me not working as the only thing we could be sure of with private was the fees which I would have needed to be full-time for and never lose my job, which isn't that easy when the school calls you all the time.

I think it might be very hard for him to be away from his family, away from his country, with different relatives unless he's used to that and they are used to him and good with him, none of ours can cope. Would his siblings not miss him? My DD might moan about DS but she would be heartbroken not to have him. If I was to send one child to boarding school it would be her not him as she is mature and would communicate if there was a problem.

Have a look at Ackworth school in West Yorkshire

It's a Quaker school and the ethos is about meeting the needs of the individual within a community

It's not an SEN provision but has a good reputation for meeting the needs of the pupils and has several pupils placed there on EHCPs

It's mixed boarding and day pupils so is quieter at the weekend but not empty

I think you may have difficulty accessing such specialist schools from abroad, especially without an ehcp or equivalent, and often they focus on a more vocational curriculum and core subjects rather than academics.

I work at Swalcliffe Park School in Oxfordshire - we take boys aged 11-19 with a diagnosis of ASC although many also have ADHD/mild learning difficulties. Half are day boys and half are residential. The boys all have an EHCP with Swalcliffe as the named school. Might be worth a look. Good luck!

Should add that I was undiagnosed at the time, so it was an extra struggle for me but obv your DS is diagnosed so school would be aware!

As someone with ASD and ADHD (high functioning) I have to say I found boarding school really hard. The lack of personal space and control over my space and time (in the dormitory especially) was actually very difficult for me, and led to the development of OCD as a response to my lack of control. Nowhere to go for down time or privacy.

Obviously no two people are the same, but please consider what the living arrangements might be like for your DS in terms of his SEN, as well as the schooling side etc. I’m sure you will, but I wanted to give you my experience.

This is from the OP above “ we are happy to come get him to bring him home for half terms and holidays etc, ”. As for whether this set up is it right for a DC with SEN, like you I’m not sure @PresentingPercy. I think that would very much depend on just how mild that was in terms of fairness to the child, staff and potentially elderly relatives who might not know OP’s DS that well.

I did not read it like that. It read he would board for weeks at time and relatives would get him at holidays. So OP would not be visiting for anything. I am well aware that most international students do not see parents from one month to the next but is that right for a DS with SEN? I do not think so. It is shifting the caring to others perhaps too much?

I think the OP has said that they will be taking him themselves for half terms and holidays @PresentingPercy? I assume your family will take him for exeats OP? From experience as an International student, it’s pretty standard for extended family to step in for concerts, sports days, exeats etc. Our UK family were happy to do so (they barely knew us and wanted the opportunity to spend time with us). I agree there shouldn’t be any expectation that extended family will take the strain but if they are asked & happy to do so then I don’t think DC are missing out? At the end of the day, logistically flying back for school plays etc would be an expensive nightmare, it doesn’t mean overseas parents are less invested in their DC.

You need to look at the specialisms of the schools. ADHD is very different to Dyslexia which some schools specialise in. A quick
Look at SEN schools tells you what the differences are.

Also I think sending him away for weeks at a time is going to be difficult. You seem to expect family to have him for weeks on end and you have not factored in exeats at all! What about visits for events at school and parents’ evenings etc? All schools invite parents to see sport, music and drama productions (and lots more) and you seem to think everyone else will step in for you. Do you want any involvement at all?

My DDs boarded but we took full interest in what they were doing and didn’t see our DDs holidays and exeats as the responsibility of others. Many international students go home for holidays if it’s a short flight to Europe. Why are you not intending to be involved in his education or his holidays? I think you are asking far too much of the schools and relatives with minimal input from you.

Bedes, Frensham Heights, More House - these might tick all the boxes.

You'll need somewhere for half-terms and exeat weekends, but Bedes and Frensham have full and weekly boarding. I didn't look at More House as I have a DD.

does he actually want to go to a boarding school.
that's quite a young age. why not wait a year or two.
can you really find nothing at all suitable in europe.
what about atlantic world college, or is that only for older students.
something like that anyway, an intake from different countries.
is there nothing in Switzerland say, that's usually quite international.
what is he like with languages.
what does he like, apart from music.
how about a cathedral school. i don't mean a choir school.

I think you might be best with somewhere like Bredon that is really set up to give an extra layer of support where needed.

A standard 24/7 boarding school requires a lot of self-organisation which there isn't necessarily a huge amount of individual support for.

More House

I looked many years ago, for a very bright ASD child. There was nothing. The choice was shocking. Sorry.

There are lots of full boarding schools in the UK. The only thing I would be wary of, if he is not sporty, is they tend to be big on sport, particularly Rugby for boys. They will do Saturday school too and it will be very full on as they keep them super busy. Do you think your child would cope with it?

He would need a uk guardian anyway, either a family member/friend or agencies have local professional host families. Even full boarding schools have exeat weekends, half term and emergency care. ISC has a website which might guide you