Private school accept SEN?

[Sophiathe2nd]

Little one is 3 next year and wanted him to go to a private Nursery/school. He is pre diagnosis but Is non verbal and paed Suspected communication disorder and 18 month wait for MDA assessment.

The school policy says they do accept but I just wondered if anyone had experience of this?

Some will, some what. But have a good thing about what you want from the school. If they are a Reception all the way up to A levels school, then you won't need to worry about common entrance. Because chances are the school will not permit your child to sit common entrance for entry to secondary schools unless they are guaranteed to pass well, because they don't want any 'fails' against them. Likewise the entrance exams into other schools, your child may be 'discouraged' from sitting them, and you can only send to a limited number of secondary schools that don't have assessment tests.

Ditto A levels, if they go through to secondary. They may not be permitted to sit them in the school, because of the harm to their league table.

So while the idea of a private school, their smaller classes and their ability to give more focussed attention to your child is appealing, I would hesitate to do it.

You could ask them how many children they have on roll with an echp. And hOw many on the SEN register. Ask how many children with asd have gone through keg stage 1 and 2.

Our non selective private school tolerates SEN children in nursery but filters out for reception upwards.