KS1 teachers advice please - my DD with SN

[NorksandSpencer]

I was wondering whether some of the wonderful teachers who contribute to this board would be able to offer me their opinions on the suitability of my DD for MS school. I have posted about this previously (diff name) on the SN board but would really appreciate a teacher's perspective.

My DD has a rare genetic condition leading to developmental delays in all areas. Physically she is petite but able to walk, run (of a fashion), climb, play and generally hold her own.

She hasn't been assessed recently but is probably 18 - 24 months behind cognitively and at least 24 months with language.

She doesn't yet talk although she has a few word approximations she uses at home and a handful of makaton signs. Her receptive language is much better.

She is already 4 but we have delayed her school entry for 1 year (all agreed with preferred school and LEA) so she will start reception in 2013 age 5 and a half approx.

She already has a Statement which supports her in her MS nursery and we fully expect her to get a full time LSA for school. She copes well in nursery and seems to learn from her peers by observing and then copying.

So, our hearts tell us we want her in our village school where her brother attends and where she can truly be part of our local community. But our heads keep nagging away that maybe it's just unrealistic to think that she will be able to cope in this environment. We have a SS within about 15 miles which she could attend as an alternative.

We have no idea yet whether she will ever be able to read or write. She doesn't seem to learn anything independently - everything has to be broken down into small tasks and taught piece by piece.

Sorry, I've rambled. I would really appreciate any experience and thoughts that might help me unravel some of the confusion I'm feeling right now.

The facilities at this school were not remotely on a par with our in-county SS and I didn't like the feel of it even tho on reading its prospectus I had thought it was the answer to all my dreams!

Ah yes so important to go and look. Our 2 SLD schools are identical on paper but completely different in reality. One suits ds1 very well, and one doesn't at all (and from the prospectuses I would have guessed the other way round!). I was given a good bit of advice, to look for a child like your own when you visit schools and look at how well they fit into the classroom and how comfortable they look there. It really helped us when looking around.

I was told that if a child starts mainstream (and doesn't have behavioural issues which warrant health & safety concerns), then it takes on average 3 years to transfer to special school.

I echo saintly; free can collect the register, take notes to the office, etc. She doesn't need a TA glued to her side because she is in an appropriate environment. At preschool, she had 15 hours 1:1.

I know children with quite severe SN that couldn't get a place.I know that if DD1 had applied this year she may not have got in.

Delay just means that they don't know why she hasn't developed typically.it doesn't mean that they expect her to close the gap with her peers (although it also doesn't mean she definitely won't either)

The child I mentioned earlier transferred in under two weeks and another (Y3) transferred in under a month.

It completely depends on the area and the schools. We were able to transfer ds1 to his school in 6 weeks, but the other SLD school told us they had no place for 6 months (which was fine as we didn't want it). A friend had to wait for 18 months and another friend never got a place in the school of her choice (she tried for 2 and half years by which time there was no point as her son was too old).

Most support groups are a good source of information on your chances for getting child into a particular school. It generally gets harder as the child gets older.