to be allowed to visit this school before I send DS there?

[cakedup]

We have recently moved and therefore applied for a place in a local school.

I was able to visit my first of choice of school and speak to the SENCO, they were happy to accommodate. I tried to arrange a visit with my 2nd choice school but was told they were too busy and I should wait for the official tour. Unfortunately my 1st choice school had no places but I was offered my 2nd choice.

When the school called to offer ds a place, I asked them if I could visit the school and speak to the SENCO before I accepted a place. DS is severely dylsexic - he is 3 years behind his peers - so it's really important to me that I know the school can accommodate him.

I was told that I couldn't visit the school as they were too busy (again). There is an official tour at the end of the month but I am requested (by the school admissions team) to accept the place before then. I was told that I would visit the school as part of the induction but this would be AFTER I accepted a place.

I asked, could I then, at least speak to the SENCO over the phone? I could practically hear her eyeballs rolling and she said she'd try but couldn't promise anything.

I've never had to change DS' school before so this is all new to me.

AIBU to want to visit the school before accepting a place? It seems like a no brainer to me but maybe this is not the usual thing and I'm being too demanding??

No idea if normal or not but I wouldn't be happy.
Sounds like they will always be too busy to talk to parents!

To put it into context, when we were choosing schools for DD to go into reception class, we missed the official tour. The head teacher happily met with us to give us a tour of the school and spent the best part of an hour talking to us in her office afterwards.

gallicgirl it was like that with my first choice of school. The deputy head arranged to see me within a couple of days and when I told her about DS' additional needs, she immediately went and got the SENCO who was on playground duty, who came and spoke to me in depth, for about an hour.

This happened to me when we were considering a move to a new town, the school was 'too busy for speculative visits'. We moved elsewhere.

I suppose the question is, what are your options? (I'm in Scotland so don't know much about school placing). If you don't accept, does that mean he doesn't have a place? Can you accept and keep looking meantime?

I guess my options are to keep him at his current school, which is 2 buses and an hour away and see if a place comes up at my first choice of school.

DS is finding the long journey really taxing and is keen to go local. I have just finished studying and I'm finding it hard to find work to fit around my four hour school run.

Have you tried calling the school directly to see if you can arrange a meeting or phone call with the SENCO? Your post sounds like you've been arranging it through the admissions team.

Also, can you go on a waiting list for your 1st choice school?

It may be a case of a school receptionist doing her job of ensuring only essential calls get through to the staff too enthusiastically! Once you get to the actual teaching staff you will find them helpful accommodating and receptive to your concerns.

Or - this may be a case of the school being a little unwilling to take your ds - they probably are very busy settling in the new starters at the beginning of term and visits can be disruptive but it should be possible to speak to the SENco unless s/he are also very busy and possibly they have a high intake of children with additional needs. It is impossible to judge really without knowing the size and capacity/ staff levels in the school.

In the mean time try to find out the email address of the relevant staff member or at least email the headteacher / Chair of Governors - setting out your concerns. See if that gets you anywhere. Have a look at the school website and policies regarding SEN provision and if you have the brass neck turn up at the school at lunchtime or end of the school day and see if they can rustle up a head or senco for you to chat to! good luck.

When we moved the school that we got allocated (none of our choices ie next to our house or in the other surrounding villages so we're given a place in nearest town) they were fab. They invited me to have a look round, let me speak to the headteacher, head of school and the teacher who would likely to be DSs teacher and got a few kids to come out and speak to me too. Then they invited DS to come on the day the whole class met their new teacher for the next year and made sure he had a buddy to show him round and keep him company all day. It was a bit of a faff for me as we had to get up at the crack of dawn to get down here from our old house and I ended up mooching round the area for a day but was fab in getting him settled.
Not all schools are as helpful I know (our old one wasn't) but this one was fab and its a huge and very busy school with a lot of kids with complex needs.

When we moved to a New area, my first choice school, was incredibly accommodating , we lived 400 miles away at the time of looking, but my dh was already working in the area. The HT Spoke happily to me over the phone and gave me a day that week, for if my dh wanted to go in and see the school, later a day was arranged for my DC and me to visit (half terms were different so we popped down.
First choice school was also ofsted outstanding, and quite full so it was touch and go whether we'd would get a place let alone 2 .

Second choice school, behaved completely oppersite, receptionist was bordering rude, wouldn't let me speak to the HT, let alone let me talk about actually looking round the school!

Later I heard second choice school was really bad for bulling and the HT seemed to hate parents and children alike. (she's not there anymore)

Op maybe try talking to admissions about your problems with the school, and maybe look at an appeal.

gallicgirl it's the school I've been speaking to, I think it's the receptionist. I am on a waiting list for the first choice school but who's to know when and if a place ever comes up.

bigmouthstrikesagain yes, I think I do need to speak to either the SENCO or the head teacher. I think I'll ask my current SENCO if he has a contact email for either. I have no brass neck and so I won't just turn up...I probably won't get pass the school gates if the receptionist is anything to go by.

How lovely wonkylegs. I am already feeling uneasy about DS having to change school in year 6 (from a school where he has been attending since the age of 3). If I got that level of reception I would be so reassured.

That's the thing Twatters I'm wondering if this reluctance reflects on the school generally. I'll call admissions as well as see what they say but they are a bit useless to be honest. All school admissions queries go through to a switchboard in carlisle rather than anyone from the ACTUAL school admissions team. I've tried to put my foot down to speak to them (when they lost my application) but their line is ALWAYS busy.

Thats a a shame about the admissions team,
I don't know how they do actually work, but the admissions team I dealt with were brilliant, we ended up with one place at second choice school and one place at a school 10 miles away from the other school place. I rang them and explained how utterly impossible it would be for me to be in two places at the same time, and I also mentioned my concerns on the second choice School. Within a 2 week's I was offered both places at first choice school. No idea how or why the places where missed at the first school the first time round, but I wasn't going to question them

Any school I have worked at have accepted that lots of parents want to visit and not necessarily when there is a scheduled tour. This included my last besd school, where prospective parents would visit everyweek /ccouple of weeks. Including the time the secure door system went haywire and we were all locked in the main building during break, while chocolate cookies were being served in the break room. The visiting parents feared a riot would break out!

I think it's very reasonable to want to see where your dc will spend a lot of their time. Surely if you are flexible about meeting times the SENCO could give you fifteen minutes. I understand SENCOs are very busy but I bet he/she would find it useful to meet with you for an easier transition.

It could easily be just some poor communication causing problems, I would keep trying despite the eye-rolling. FwiFeisty when I went to the first open evening/look round at dts secondary school I really wasn't keen, but they wanted to go there. It was a good school and they did well x good luck

Fwiw - nothing about Feisty!!!

When I was a SENCo, I often met parents and took them round the school and talked to them about their child's needs.

I would not be happy about the refusal to engage with you prior to accepting the place, particularly as this is Year 6. Does your DS have a statement or EHCP? I can't imagine any school not wanting to be aware of particular needs in a new pupil.

This does not sound good at all. School shoukd be meeting with you beforehand to discuss your sons needs and what they will put in place. You shoukd of course be able to look around beforehand, and meet the teachers, to see if it's the right school for ds.

It depends on partially how many people request tours too.

For dc's juniors, its 150 entrance. A high proportion will want a visit. There's also people having a nosy, people who hope to get it, people who haven't a hope of getting in but think they have...I think they estimate around 200 families do a tour every year. They're taken around in groups of around 10, which is, on one tour per day, 4 weeks.
Some parents complain that they want individual tours, others complain if it isn't the head doing it (although ime pupils give you a better feel), others want to cone 2,3,4 times, sometimes with extended family, and some expect a long private consultation which ends with the head on his knees promising he will move heaven and earth to make sure they're accepted.

So during this term they don't do private tours, and you have to prebook. The rest of the year they are happy to show you round individually.

Are you sure the school realises this is for an in-year transfer and not for a place starting next September? Have you really stressed this so it is clear?

I don't think you're being unreasonable. You're supposed to have a choice of schools and that includes seeing the actual school. Sometimes just driving up and checking out the area or checking out the Oftsed report isn't enough, esp when it comes to SEN - some schools look great on paper but aren't and vice versa.

I would also be wary of a school whose Senco was too busy to even talk over the phone, because how can a child with dyslexia settle into a school well from the start without any contact with the Senco? Sencos wouldn't usually want a random dyslexic kid showing up without them knowing anything about them - one phone call could save them tons of intervention time.

Get your current SENCo to ring theirs and sort it out for you. Bypass the receptionist, if you see what I mean?

Good luck.

When we looked at secondary schools we had a chat with the senco at the open evening, and as soon as the place (twins) were confirmed we were able to make an appointment with her again to discuss what would be needed (severe dyspraxia) and were able to have as many meetings as we wished, which cemented our decision on the school.

As an ex primary teacher, 'too busy' for you to visit when your child is SEN - thats a red flag, whoever you are talking to. School secretary/Head? Take it off your list.

The HT at my old school was always happy to show parents round the school.
She was rightly proud of it and wanted to show it to all who were interested.

They don't want to see you? You don't want to go there.

Thanks all, you have all confirmed what I've been thinking.

I called the school admissions team today to ask for an extension on the deadline to accept the place, but they have told me no, that if it was listed as my 2nd choice then they assume I'm happy with the school.

I called the school and to my surprise, one of the options was to be put through to SENCO. However I tried several times and the extension was continuously engaged - I'll try again tomorrow.

Out of interest paulapompom - because I also need to select my secondary school preference soon - what was it that you didn't like about the school and was it not an accurate reflection?

Foxyloxy1plus1 DS doesn't have a statement or EHC plan. I tried to get together with the current SENCO to apply for an EHC plan but he told me it was nigh on impossible to get one on dyslexia alone. Even though DS is 2.5 years behind in maths and 3 years behind in literacy. And that's even with regular sessions with a dyslexic tutor.

Witchend I can see how it could potentially be unmanageable if so many parents want personal tours. However, considering I have actually been offered a place (and not just wanting a nosey on a whim) and considering ds has SEN, I really do feel the need to make sure the school are able to cater for him.

Yes TeenAndTween I'm pretty sure it's clear...they would have got the notification from the school admissions team. And the receptionist was eager for me to tell her there and then whether I wanted the place. I will double check though!

checking out the Oftsed report isn't enough, esp when it comes to SEN I absolutely agree scifisam. The head at DS' current school will do anything to maintain her OFSTED outstanding status - and this doesn't always mean the children's needs are priority funnily enough. I think, from what I gather, they would be happy for me to meet the SENCO after I've accepted the place though. I would like to meet with the SENCO beforehand as this will influence my decision.

I actually set about arranging that today ProcrastinatorGeneral but my SENCO is off sick!

My thoughts exactly Sazzle41 and Nanny0gg it's really put me off. If I can get through to the head or SENCO, then unless I get a completely different attitude then I'm out of there.

That is probably what they want! Schools are not always keen to have SEN children - their gateway system is doing the job they want it to do. Is this an academy?

It's not an academy Millymollymama, why do you ask? (As I'm looking at a secondary school academy). It did cross my mind though. Especially for year 6 with all the SATS.