Dame Alice Owens if your child has additional needs

[orangeblosssom]

The head of SEN is abysmal. He has very little knowledge about conditions such as ASD or ADHD.
The headteacher mentioned in an open day in the past, that the school is only for academic children and not for kids with special needs which is major red flag.

The fact that people can be academic and have additional needs is not catered for.

Neuro diversity is not acceptable in this school.

Do you happen to have a link to her talk?

JustAMother75 please could we DM

Yes, sure

But academically selective doesn't mean exclusion for all children with SEN as many of those kids are among the most academically able students.

What happens to the children who have additional needs and their diagnosis is not made until later on in secondary school?

This is a key point. Currently 4-5 years from referral to get a diagnosis with the NHS where I live, which means even if needs are identified early then children still go through most of primary school with no support. And that's before you even start the long process for an ECHP.

I went to DAO and it’s not really a comprehensive - it’s selective with an entrance exam.. I don’t agree with the system, it’s created a situation in Potters Bar and the surrounding area where you either get into Owens on the exam - ok great - or you don’t and the other choice in Potters Bar isn’t a great one. Or you travel 30 mins or more to another school but further from where you live. Owens gets good results because they only take academic kids from the get go. I suspect their ‘added value’ to kids ability is actually pretty low. I enjoyed my time there though but agree the admissions isn’t fair at all and they are very selective. Same at A level- if your predicted grades aren’t great they won’t want you to stay for sixth form. X

The catchment area is tiny. Like a few houses that’s it. If you’ve got a big sibling intake one year, you are literally looking at a catchment area of a couple of hundred yards max! x

@interestingdays no I can't find it , basically she said word for word if your child has got additional needs this isn't the school for time another schools would meet their needs better

Them (Not time ) and others schools would be a better choice . As their expectations are high and their would need to have a quick pace of learning

Did she say this again in lockdown? What year did you hear her speak?

Definitely lockdown she went on to say their expectations were high and children without a quick pace of learning would get left behind and they Sen Department wasn't well funded

@interestingdays .. It was saying if your child wasn't gifted we don't want them

This.

I've had two children attend DAO. I wish I hadn't. The current headmistress has completely ruined the school's atmosphere; which used to be lovely under Alan Davies. Made the school into an ultra right-wing, cold, uncaring, hothouse and only cares about their reputation.

1. It has an out-of-control bullying problem. It has a racism and homophobia problem. It has a misogyny problem. They are so keen to keep the academically gifted in school that the brightest could set fire to the chemistry block and dance naked around the flames and the headmistress would claim that they had addressed the issue sufficiently. The Pastoral Care room is full to the brim every breaktime of damaged and broken children. If you enjoy a school where the N word is graffiti in the bathroom, and the school feels that that word is acceptable in a historical context, then by all means send your child there. It is especially a joy for the LGBTQ+ community. God help you if you are gay. Or even just a bit "different".
2. It has a serious off-rolling issue, both for GCSE and A level They try to carefully cover it up, but if you are not the type of pupil they want (smartly-dressed, middle-class, high-achieving and "conforming"), they will leave you to your own devices. Sometimes they will go so far as to send the undesirable pupils a list of "alternative provision schools you may be interested in" in order to try and get rid of you before your GCSE results might bring down their total.
3. They expect you to give them a lot of money. Monthly direct debits, fundraisers etc. They even go so far as to stipulate on the admissions paperwork how much money the minimum amount they expect is.
4. Their SEN/SEND provision is non-existent. They will not make allowances for you. If you need extra support, or special provisions....tough. In my opinion, if you have a child with additional support needs or medical issues DO NOT send them to DAO. Your child will not be able to perform to the best of their ability, however bright they are.

Belated thanks for all the contributions here, especially the last one. You saved me an awful lot of trouble and put into words the bad vibe I had when I looked round the place.

I went for a job interview so that my daughter would eventually have a place as we live nearby but not in the catchment area. It was during lockdown and would generally have made good comedy viewing for how weird it was. There was one bit in the interview where there had been some misunderstanding and the Head wanted to make sure I knew it was my fault (which it may well have been) but it really reminded me of that bit in Lord of the Rings where Bilbo wants to see the ring one last time....know the bit I mean? The facilities were amazing but I really struggled to muster any enthusiasm for working there.

I was just thinking about putting my doubts to one side and applying again and I'm pleased to say you've put me right off. My daughter has recently been diagnosed as neurodivergent (this term sounds a bit dated already). I'm shocked that the Head felt at liberty to say that kids with these diagnoses aren't welcome even if she thought it, which gives us some idea of the crowd.

I used to teach at a lovely school in Enfield where the emphasis was on the pupils' character and results came second. Each year one or two would leave to Owens or Latymer for 6th form. The poor kids who'd been asked to leave those places and came to us were utterly down-trodden.

Finally, the back and forth on this thread regarding the place of selective schools in the UK was really good. Its a fascinating topic that goes to the heart of what it means to live here. The whole system is elitist but I'm almost alone on the Left in believing that free selective education should exist as long as there are selective fee-paying schools - we should have both or neither. However, sounds like Owens is a good counter-example to give me some food for thought.....places like this are no longer serving the working class which was, once upon a time, the whole point.

Sorry this is long-winded - I'm feeling a huge sense of relief! Thanks again.

Owens used to be a great comp
I believe back when it relocated to Potters Bar & served a mixed intake well. When & why did it become selective?