Dyslexia/SEN support at Grey Coat, Marylebone, Camden and St Mary Mags

[How2parentNot]

Hello,

I'm interested in understanding parents/ carers/ children's experiences of SEN provision in the following schools:

The Grey Coat Hospital
St Marylebone School
Camden School for Girls; and
St Mary Magdalene Academy

My year 5 daughter is dyslexic and autistic. She attends a local state primary school. She meets or exceeds expected levels across all subjects.

We are not guaranteed a place at any of the four aforementioned schools, however, under current oversubscription criteria my daughter qualifies for a place, based on various factors. This thread is not concerned about whether she would/ wouldn't receive an offer at any of these schools next March.

Her dyslexia assessment indicates that her underlying ability is above average, the assessor advised that she has a very high IQ. But that she needs very targeted/ focused support to help her to attain what her underlying ability is showing she is capable of.

In a school setting, her autism is particularly evident with emotional, social and communication challenges with her peers. She has a very acute sense of 'right' and 'wrong', justice, truthfulness, manners. She is very clear in her thinking, particularly about what she deems as acceptable/unacceptable behaviour.

She is a quiet bookworm, that enjoys STEM subjects, Arts & crafts activity's, drama and singing.

My daughter does not have a statement/EHCP.

I would like to speak with the SENCO at each school to understand what their schools offer is, however, in the interim, I would be grateful for insights into each of the four schools, centred on:

A. any firsthand accounts of what school is like for young girls with dyslexia and/or autism

B. Information about how knowledgeable/ supportive the SENCO is

C. Information about the types of interventions/clubs/ experiences that are put in place to support young girls with a neurodiversity profile similar to that of my daughters.

Many thanks in advance for your insights!

NB: Posting in a couple of places as unsure as to where likely responses will come from 😊

When looking at schools you need to be mindful that a school can change dramatically between application and admission. For example, you cannot guarantee that the SENCo will be the same person. Anecdotal evidence of how they operate, therefore, is pretty meaningless.
I’m assuming you’ve researched each school’s SEN policy and offer? That will give you an indication of what to expect with regards to SEN. I would also arrange to meet with the SENCOs for a personal visit to the schools rather than just relying on the open day sessions that they may provide.
Just be aware that SEN budgets are being slashed to the bare bones, so there may be a limit as to what interventions / clubs / experiences they will continue to offer. Whilst you are naturally concerned about SEN, try to take an holistic approach to what school would be a best fit for your daughter, and don’t forget to bear in mind the likelihood of her being offered a place there.

Have you applied for an EHCP?

If not, then I suspect you will be very disappointed by what is available at any school - especially if your child is academically able.

My advice (as parent of a very bright, severely dyslexic girl with ADHD) is to start the EHCP process now, investigate what private provision is available in your area for her areas of SEN and then take anything any school tells you they provide with a massive pinch of salt until proven otherwise.

I have friends with SEN children at 2 of those schools and neither has been exactly raving about the SEN provision... exam access arrangements is about where it starts and ends without additional funding coming in.

Hi @OhCrumbsWhereNow ,

Thank you for your thoughts, would you mind sharing which of the two schools you are referring to? Feel free to DM me if you would prefer.

Additionally - are you happier with the provision your daughter has in her school (vs the provision your friends are contending with)? And would you recommend your daughter's school? Again - feel free to DM if you would prefer - any insider perspective is very much appreciated.

With regards the EHCP, I am gathering evidence to accompany my request for a Needs Assessment (NA) - I know that I don't require evidence, I understand that my daughter's needs satisfy the 2-part legal test that would justify the LA complete the NA, however, I know that evidence will be helpful at various stages of this ridiculously long drawn out process, so I figure I may as well get ahead of the curve now...

GCH always used to be a misery farm. V poor on sen but that was a while ago so perhaps it’s changed.

I can only speak for CSG. Overall experience of the school has been very positive but SEND support (for a high-achieving neurodiverse kid) has been pretty disappointing. The SENCO is very personable but v little actual support offered except from a couple of really helpful individual teachers who seemed to get it. Our impression is that as long as everything seems ok on the surface (i.e. the student masks well, doesn't disrupt the class, and hits their attainment targets - which are set by an algorithm based on SAT & CAT results) the school is reluctant to engage with parents until there is some kind of crisis.

I have heard other parents say that SMMA is even worse in this respect but i have no firsthand experience.

I get the impression, as a poster above has said, that this is a pretty widespread issue but friends with daughters at Marylebone have spoken more positively about their SEND provision.