Nisai Virtual Academy Ltd

[lucysnowe2]

Hi all - NISAI (www.nisai.com) has been suggested for DD, who for various reasons might do better at an online school.

Has anyone had any experience with it, good or bad? I'd really welcome any thoughts - thanks!

Some have a good experience, but I would be careful because some have dire experiences which cause further harm to DC.

Thanks for the reply - can you say more?

For some, it is fantastic. Suits them perfectly. Meets their needs. They thrive, etc.

The other side is the quality of teaching can be variable, so some find it is poor, especially some with SEN who need adjustments to teaching. Some find the wider SEN support lacking and some have found their lack of support has exacerbated DC’s previous trauma. At times, their organisation is lacking, too.

A real mixed bag of experiences really.

That’s before you consider online provision doesn’t work for all.

thankyou! DD has ASD but hasn't been able to access mainstream college unfortunately. It's the only education provision that can be mentioned as such on her EHCP, which is why I'm looking into it. I'm wondering if it's not good for ASD kids? (She is doing very well with her online tutor, but I know that's different!)

There are loads of other possibilities. For example there is Minerva Virtual Academy, King’s Interhigh, Wolsey Hall, Pembrokeshire college, Oxford Learning Online and Homemade Education… Then there are providers who are specific to certain subjects, e.g. South West Science (don’t be put off by the name they have online provision), Humanatees, TeachallaboutIT, Teachallaboutfilm, KanduIT, Learntec… Then ones that don’t focus so much on traditional academic learning such as Technology Triumphs, ACED qualifications

If online tutoring is working well, I would push for that to continue. If the EHCP is lacking, do you have the right of appeal? If so, appeal.

The EHCP should also cover more than just online schooling/tuition. What about therapies, mentoring, exercise/sport, social interaction, accessing the community, PfA, things like music/art/cookery/drama/chess (whatever DD is interested in), equipment/resources/subscriptions/memberships/a budget for sundries and professional time…

Thankyou! Yes, I looked at some of those - the only problem is that they can only be accessed via EOTAS. The LA said that NISAI was the only one that could be legally added to section I of the EHCP as an educational provision. (I don't know why it's the only one!) Because of this, the LA is pushing me in that direction. If NISAI is as good as the other schools, I'd be ok, but if not...

Yes, the other options are also something to look into. It's a little bit of an issue at the moment because DD is sensitive about 'support' lol.

It isn’t the only one who can be named in I. The LA is misinforming you. However, there is a lack of consistency between LAs about which ones they will now name in I. Unfortunately, this seems to extend to some at SENDIST too.

Having said that, it sounds like you could evidence the legal test for EOTAS/EOTISC. Obviously you have only posted a snapshot here so that may not be the case.

Hmm. I'll look into it! Thankyou so much for your v. useful comments.

My DD is thriving with Nisai to be fair. Might be worth getting in touch with them and having a chat. I have just received their newsletter saying they are featured in the Good Schools guide. Could be worth a read.

We have had such a positive experience with Nisai. They have helped my DS incredibly since we moved him from a mainstream school due to his ASD and us feeling totally at a loss as to how best to help him. The Nisai teachers and mentors have been absolutely amazing at getting to know both him and us as a family and supporting us brilliantly with my son. After struggling to get him the right support for several years in mainstream school, our only regret is that we didn’t move him sooner. His confidence has grown so much since being with themand his grades have improved significantly. I’m very interested to know who this ‘some’ is the previous poster mentioned as I have never heard anything but positive reports about Nisai and our personal experience is an incredibly successful one. Happy to pass on more details about the support/teaching etc they offer if you have any questions.

IMHO and experience look elsewhere.