St Dunstan’s College and SEN

[Franny1]

Would love to know people’s opinions on St Dunstan’s College in SE London? Especially re SEN provision….

Junior school SEND awful, senior better but school has really changed more a business, where children who aren't performing as the school would like are asked to leave, hence they are moving up the league tables. No longer nurturing.

We had a very disappointing experience with the Junior School SEND department, which was particularly surprising given that this is a private school. While our experience with the Senior School SEND team has been better, I was astonished that they recently asked me to provide my son's diagnostic report. He has been at the school for five years and has been on the SEND register throughout that time. I struggle to understand how such an important document is not already on file.
I also agree with the comment above that the school has changed, and unfortunately not for the better. My other son had three different English teachers in a single academic year, which inevitably disrupted his learning. He was then told he was not working at the level expected in English, yet little acknowledgement was given to the impact that such significant staff changes had on his progress.
Communication has also become a concern. It often takes a long time to receive a response to emails, even when they relate to safeguarding matters. I am genuinely concerned about the direction the school is taking.

I’m so sorry to hear this! Do you mind me asking what you mean by the direction the school is taking generally?

I feel the school is very focused on academic results and league tables. In itself, that's not necessarily a bad thing. But it often feels as though the children come as a by product to those ambitions, rather than being at the centre of everything the school does.
Instead of helping children achieve their best in the subjects they genuinely enjoy and want to pursue, there seems to be a strong focus on getting a grade 7. If they don't, they risk not being able to take their preferred GCSE subjects. While the school's results may look impressive, it can sometimes feel as though they come at the children's expense.
I'm all for encouraging children to work hard and achieve good grades, but I don't think it should become a case of "you must get this grade or else". That creates unnecessary pressure and takes away from the enjoyment of learning.
When we went to the Open Day, the school talked a lot about developing well-rounded young people and made it clear that education wasn't just about English, Maths and exam results. Unfortunately, that does not feel the way the school is heading to.