To think this is strange to ask in a school interview

[Isthisallowedtoday]

NC for this,

my ADHD child attended an assessment day for a local independent yesterday.

The interview was conducted by the SENCo, who according to my child spent most of the 10 minutes asking about their ADHD.

AIBU for thinking that it’s not fair that non neurodivergent applicants get to sell themselves for 10mins, whereas my child was asked about their ADHD, which doesn’t define them as a person.

How is this relevant for how they will contribute to school life?

Independent schools don't want children who are too problematic for their performance. I imagine they were assessing whether your child would be problematic or not.

whereas my child was asked about their ADHD, which doesn’t define them as a person.

I agree with you that the interview shouldn't soley focus on ADHD, but I would actually see it as a positive that the senco wants to get a first hand understanding of how this presents in your child.

ADHD is a neurotype and does define your child as a person. It is their brain, it's who they are. This has a wider impact on how they interact with learning, forming relationships, engaging in interests, and the support they need to establish their educational success as well as long term outcomes on their mental health.

Perhaps the school had enough application information to already understand that your child is academically an asset to their institution and therefore did not need to discuss potential extracurricular activities with them. Maybe they are aware that your child has already faced a disadvantage during the interview process and therefore they have adjusted their expectations for enquiring during the interview process as they have prioritised finding a deeper understanding in learning styles.

Have you considered contacting the school to ask them what they were looking for during the interview?

I would like to speak to my child’s current school to gauge their thoughts before going to the secondary with my query.

My child likes this school too, so I do want to tread carefully and not jeopardise it for them.

Many Independants have a policy where SEN kids get priority during the application process if they feel they can support them. That’s why the interview is with the SenCo - they’ve probably already decided they will take him if he can be supported

I would love to know where are these amazing independent schools are that accept SEN kids. It must be a postcode lottery because there are none near me. I think it is positive that they are asking so many questions, as a previous Poster has said, my experience was just a straight no. They didn’t even want to meet us and my child is also very academically able. Medicated AuDHD and never disruptive. They have read your child’s reports and they are obv keen to ensure they can support them.

Wow! I would consider these questions very inappropriate.
By the way I think that medications at this age might sound a bit unusual just because of slow diagnosing process and long waiting lists.

No we don't. We're an ordinary school with some high achievers. Absolutely not a specialist school. But we are small and pastorally strong.

Hi there, not in addition to other interviews. Just the main one.

@WhiteLily1 - quite a sweeping statement to make - not related to my post, but the reason many parents are upset at the VAT ia that it will act as a barrier to access private education for many SEN children without an EHCP.

I also seem to get the impression from this thread the people view children with ADHD as problematic - let me tell you, (apart from the worry as a parent of doing right by your neurodiverse child), that with the right support they can thrive as much as any neurotypical child.

It may be that they are future proofing.
A lot of children can be absolutely fine at primary/prep but struggle with the adjustment to secondary and the additional executive function expected of them as they move classrooms each lesson, navigate a bigger site and are expected to take more personal responsibility. Also, as some children move into their teenage years, it may be that they notice more side effects of their meds or begin to make more decisions for themselves, including deciding they are no longer going to take their medication. Just because a child is able to manage primary in the same way as an NT child doesn't mean that they will manage secondary in the same way.

For GCSEs, extra time has to be a candidate’s normal way of working, so if DC is to be eligible for extra time for GCSEs, DC must have some need for support outwith formal exams. Many secondary schools base exam access arrangements for internal exams lower down the school on JCQ’s guidance used for GCSEs.

Myself and my kids both have diagnosed ADHD (one is in state and one is in private)- children do not get extra time in exams just for having ADHD, they tend to get movement breaks but that's about it. I would be wondering what else is going on that your son got extra time in exams maybe they were trying to work that out.

Can I just add - I do think private schools are wary of some kids with ADHD because they are worried they will be disruptive in class. My kids have inattentive ADHD so tend to be thinking of a million things at once / day dreaming so tend to be quiet in class. But I do have a friend whose son has combined ADHD and a private school refused to consider him - even though he is medicated and a reference from school would confirm he's not disruptive.

South-East has lots. Buckinghamshire in particular as its full of top class grammar schools so the privates need to have a reason to attract kids. Our local private is positively well-known for being great with SEN kids.

I don't see the replies that way. We all know (don't we?) that any neurodiversity is a range. Children with ADHD by definition struggle with their concentration and can be more difficult to keep on task. Any school will be looking to assess whether it can meet the individual's needs alongside meeting the needs of its other students. It's not personal if they want to weigh up a child with an ADHD diagnosis a bit more carefully, and I would be very suspicious of a school that was happy to take your money without properly looking at their diagnosed SEN. That would be a disservice to your child and the others.

However this is a poor way to go about it. With private school you are in a way signing away some of the checks and balances there are in state schools. Be really honest with yourself about whether this feels right - you're right to be trying to draw a wider picture about them. You will be giving these people an awful lot of power over your child.

This was recommended as part of the reasonable adjustments as they have slow processing speed in comparison to academic ability. That being that it is only evident with timed work.

@Gamells you’re right, a lot to consider.

Partly breaks are easier to get, but there is also an argument that they are a better adjustment for some students. Sitting a 2 hour exam is tough on any child. Extra time is arguably not that helpful if they are done in by the end of the normal exam time, and can't concentrate enough by then to string a sentence together. Mine gets extra for ASD but he's not always in a state to use it. Stopping the clock might be more helpful for some, especially with an ADHD profile, than just extending the time. The GCSE schedule is relentless and 20x exams plus 20x extra time is a big load on a child who struggles to keep focus anyway.

It's up to school to assess what adjustments are appropriate and build the evidence. There will be someone at school in charge of securing and organising exam adjustments. I would suggest speaking to them about trialling whether extra time would be helpful. Also consider whether your child might benefit from a prompt. Breaks plus prompt can work well with ADHD.

I have worked in private schools that do exactly this… and ones that focus their business on SEN as it is very profitable given how badly the state caters for these students. I am speaking from experience, just as you are.