Prep schools near Acton with strong SEN support and small classes

[sandrasam]

Hi all

I'm not from London but looking to relocate to ACTON, West London.

I need a prep school for my kid with SEN needs (sensory and language delay) - somewhere nurturing and SMALL class sizes.

I need a school with a strong and supportive SENCo department that works closely with families to meet kids unique needs.

l' know nothin of prep schools in London beside the random searches on Google so any advice would be greatly appreciated

To be brutally honest - that’s exactly the kind of schools that the VAT add on hit the hardest. Many closed, for the ones that are left have a very close look at the finances.
VAT didn’t hit the regular preps and private secondary’s particularly hard, but it was devastating for the ones targeting children with SENds.

Oh really why is that?

Girl or boy? I'm not sure there are any preps in Acton - it's not really that kind of town (maybe the International school but I can't think of any others). You would have to look in Ealing and Chiswick and Hammersmith. It depends where in Acton you are moving.
You could try St Augustines in Ealing for a girl - I think they have small classes and are inclusive.

Have a look at Heathfield House in Chiswick. I don't know that they are SEN but they have smaller classes and seem to be regarded as more inclusive.

I'm sure someone from Ealing will be along to say if there are any schools that would be suitable. As a previous poster has said these schools are being hard hit and there are some (very good) state schools that might be better able to accommodate your child depending your child's age.

Because very small class sizes are not financially viable unless your fees are bigger. And most people either can’t afford that or don’t want to. When there are larger more affordable schools available small schools will not survive.

And because these schools tend ti be attended by children of parents who can just about afford private - they are going private because the state options let their kids down. VAT meant private was unaffordable for many, so it is now home education ….
Classical big private schools weren’t really bothered by VAT, their parents don’t even feel VAT.

That makes a lot of sense, hadn’t thought of that! I found that regular preps (those with average sizes) are far less accommodating with a SEN child and are pretty academic driven. But thank you for your insight! Might have to change my approach

That also makes sense, such a shame private education has always been the preferred option due to class size even for my non Sen kids. They attend regular preps with strong focus on academics. I wish there was a happy medium between private, state and specialist schools..

A girl for year 1, it’s by Acton Town. I did think I’ll be looking at Chiswick and Ealing to be fair, Chiswick is literally around the corner but thank you for your suggestions I’ll take a look at those