Moving to London - SEN help

[krobhix20]

Hi. I've found these threads very helpful and done as much research as I can in previous threads, but now need a bit more info.

Family of 4 moving to London in early summer. We have 2 DS ages 5 and 3. Husband is working in Aldwych but will likely have some WFH days but also will likely have to travel a bit as well.

We are looking for a warm, nurturing, creative and somewhat alternative school for our sons. We've narrowed it down now to Dallington and Rosemary Works. Those seem to be the best of what we are looking for. Small class sizes, alternative curriculum, creative thinking. We aren't big on test scores and prestige.

Our biggest concern is our oldest has a sensory processing disorder diagnosis and likely ADD/ADHD. He is currently in a special program to help him regulate his emotions and our hope is that by the time we move he can transition to a more mainstream classroom. But it is likely he will still need some additional help/attention, hence the need for small class sizes.

Does anyone here have any experience with SENCO at Dallington or Rosemary Works? How does SENCO work there? How do they determine how much assistance is given in the classroom?

I have so so so many questions. Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

Hi, I see this post is a couple of years old but we stand in a very similar situation. If you don't mind sharing, what did you end up choosing? And how has it worked out?

Have a son with ASD and wondering about both of these schools myself.

We didn't end up going with either. That said I do know that Dallington is very open to SEN kids and is very child led. Rosemary Works has changed head teachers since we visited so not sure about how things are there. Happy to answer and more questions you might have.

Thank you for answering, appreciate it. Did you end up choosing a mainstream school near you or some other alternative option? How has that been going for you?

I do have a very good impression of Dallington (it's the school I would've loved going to myself), but their SENCO did mention that one downside to the school for ASD children is the fact that it has less structure and is more noisy than other schools - so that is my main hesitation, but unsure if this will be a problem for my son. It may not be. So just seeing if there is any advice or thoughts from other people with SEN children in the area really :)

It is a very long story. See this thread. https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/special_needs/4547556-moving-to-london-from-us?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share&utm_source=copylink

If you have more questions after that I am happy to answer.