I have posted this in SN but have copied it over here for traffic, hope that's ok!
I don't live anywhere near this school but am planning a 'big' move in the next few years. I'm considering moving near this school because on paper it sounds like it may meet my son's needs but I've been stung by that with schools round here!
DS is currently in year 4, diagnosed autistic and suspected adhd (inattentive, haven't got a diagnosis because the waiting lists are so horrendous and he would be 'difficult to diagnose' because of his autism 🙄). He is currently at a mainstream primary with full time 1:1 support, SALT (couple of hours per term, he is verbal but has some higher level skills missing/in need of development) and some OT time on his EHCP (OT is for fine motor but he's also got a few things on his sensory profile that I've mostly gotten on with because of my professional background)
He's doing ok at this school, he's not setting the academic world alight and is behind his peers in every subject by at least a couple of levels. He can write with a shaky hand and do very basic maths with the aid of a number line and has just started doubling for example. He LOVES topic work and soaks up the information like a sponge and is great at retelling all the interesting bits. Total tech fiend but only on his tablet, needs a lot of help to get anything else to work eg what buttons to press, what process to use etc etc. His reading is fantastic, completely fluent reader but bizarrely he really struggles with spelling 🤷♀️
Anyway, secondary school is looming. Round here we have the 11+ and I dread the prospect of him entering a comprehensive/secondary school. He is very very innocent and trusting and just so....pure. I can see him getting totally swallowed up and spat out (I work in a job that has a lot of contact with secondary schools and their pupils so I'm not just imagining a scary prospect, I work within the schools with their SEN and SEMH pupils, I have a good idea of what it's like for them).
He is too able for the SEN schools around here. There was a school for autistic and adhd boys that sounded absolutely perfect but because all the SEN schools have become so oversubscribed they have now had to start taking pupils with fare more profound difficulties and no longer have space for boys like mine (despite that being their original remit). I shall reconfirm, amongst his peers he is NOT able, except perhaps his reading but he is too able for all the oversubscribed secondary SEN provision. His primary school obviously is smaller but also has become the 'go to' school for kids who have SEN who can't get into any other provision. So they also have hired a lot of expert staff and invested a lot in specialist training etc. so it's sort of an SEN-lite primary that he's in already!
Right (sorry, lots of background being set) so what I would like to find out is what The Mark Way school is like in terms of intake, on the website it seems to be geared towards kids like my son but I can't be sure. I can't go and visit because I don't live nearby and I will be contacting them but it would also be good to get any information from parents, staff etc who might be on here (obviously I understand the need for anonymity!) Mainly I would like to know about intake criteria but equally anything about the type of school, if you consider it to be a 'good' one (whatever that means), pupil well-being etc.
Thank you and apologies for such an essay!