St Josephs in the Park v St Edmunds Prep

[user1466518624]

The title says it all. We have looked at both for our ds who has mild developmental delay mainly in speech but is now almost within normal age range and is very social and friendly but still sometimes gets a bit anxious in new situations but generally ok within minutes. Both schools seem very nuturing and caring but are very different in terms of size. I would love to hear experiences of both schools. Thank you x

Both my children attend St Josephs and have had the most amazing experience. Both have various special needs including speech issues and anxiety. There are many children around the school with similar needs and if necessary there is an SEN unit for ks2 ( as I am sure you saw). My DD spent three years in there and it was absolutely the making of her. The infant dept is very strong and manages many children with special needs well. The whole school is very inclusive and my children have been accepted and fully included in school life.

The staff are all without exception incredibly nurturing and love working there, and the parents are made very welcome within the school making it a very happy community. Over the years I have learnt that as a parent of special needs children it is vital that you can build a good working relationship with the professionals working with your children and it's been very easy to do so at St Joes.

The school has a new Headmaster who is settling in well. He is very focused on the child and their needs above all else and he is making some positive improvements around the school already.

The children are taught to be supportive of each other and accepting of each other's strengths and weaknesses. Generally, the children are very happy and get along well with each other. I really cannot recommend the school highly enough!

For me, a small school is a massive advantage for children who suffer from anxiety as they know all the children and staff and are more secure as a result. Similarly, they can't get lost as they would in a larger school and their needs can be better identified and managed. St Eds although not massive is much larger than st joes and I have not considered it as a senior school for my children because of its size.

Feel free to pm me if you want more specific feedback.