Edinburgh school search for son with ASD, lockdown panic!

[BlindingStrides]

Hello all, we are moving to Edinburgh later in the summer (fingers crossed) due to DH's job, and I had just started my research into the schools when lockdown happened!

My DS is 9 (10 in July), and is wonderful and bright but struggles socially and with some processing issues, we are looking for a mainstream state primary with strong inclusivity and pastoral care, that is friendly & does well with children who don't quite fit the requirements for state help but does require a bit of extra support from the school - plus in catchment for a secondary with similar qualities (ie. not worried about league tables).

I'm really struggling to figure this out without being able to get up there in person so any help or advice, no matter how small would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much in advance :)

Blinding, I'm not in Edinburgh anymore and my DC didn't go to school there either so can be of limited practical help. I just wanted to ask if you are moving within Scotland or from elsewhere?

If i'm honest, in my experience (not Edinburgh) is that it's a hit or a miss in general. Some school and teachers get it right for some kids and other DC just struggle to get a connection with someone that then gives them a more positive experience. You could get the best recommendation but it still might not be the best for your child whereas he could go to a school that on paper doesn't meet your criteria but he makes a best friend on Day 1 and happens to have a teacher that year that gets him.

Are you looking to find a school and then look for property in that catchment? Whereabouts in Edinburgh will your DH be working? It might be better to look at somewhere on the outskirts or outside Edinburgh where you might get a more village school experience?

We have found Tollcross Primary great for pastoral care and children who are a bit outside the norm. Tollcross feeds to Gillespie's High, which is heavily subscribed and I don't have much knowledge, as we got in from out of catchment. Tollcross tend to have places for out of catchment, but not in all years, so you might be able to get in catchment for a different high school but still get a place.

Thanks you both so much for replying :)

WaxOnFeckOff we're moving from England and although I'm really excited about the move, with the lockdown it's starting to feel like a really long way away! Your thoughts are very much like mine, looking for the 'perfect' school for him is just not going to exist - I would normally rely on visiting and getting a feel for the place, but as I can't do that, it's got me panicking a bit.. I guess I was just wondering if anyone was in a similar position to me, and had any insights - but you're right, it's all about the individual experience, and one won't be like another - thank you for writing it down, it helps process my own thought processes!
DH will be working out by the airport, and we were thinking central/south, but are not fixed in that.
AssangesCat, I was wondering about Tollcross Primary and it's really great to hear your experience. Outside the norm is a perfect description! Is there much outside space? I know it's a pretty central school.
Thanks again

The feeder primaries for a Royal High (Blackhall, D Mains & Clermiston, Cramond) & Craigmount High (sorry not sure of primaries) would be a good shout in terms of location & school league tables etc. Easy commute to the airport too.

No idea what your budget is, but the west and south of the city are areas I know better so ideal for the airport side.

Lots of decent High school options which I think would be your focus. Agree with Glass above or also Firrhill, Buroughmuir, Balerno too maybe.

Do you want city/suburban or village living?

Kirknewton is apparently a decent primary and feeds into Balerno?
Colinton Village is essentially in the city and feeds into Firrhill?
Penicuik is not the prettiest but is handy for the city and schools are pretty decent.

I'd concentrate on where you can afford/what lifestyle you want, in a nice area, commuting distance fr your DH, look at the High Schools and then research the primaries from there.

If you have a few that you are thinking about, maybe folks will be able to give any info they have?

Your son will be looking at going into primary 6, so two years left of primary and he'll be 12 when he starts High School, he'll probably be pretty much in the middle age wise taking into account deferred pupils. I don't think the system you have in England in terms of extra support is likely to be replicated unfortunately, especially if he doesn't have a diagnosis (although you haven't said if he does or doesn't).

Are you on FB? There is a great group called Parents and Carers of Children with disabilities in City of Edinburgh I am sure you will find lots of help & info there

Thank you GlassofProsecco, very handy to know the feeder primaries.
WaxOn, I was just about to ask about Firrhill and Balerno, and if anyone had any experience of them and the local primaries - DH wants city living but I yearn for the hills...and we could definitely get more for our money further out (of course), also DS is better with space so it may be better for us to be a but further out, but still with good access to the city.
It's quite attractive to us that he will have an extra school year at primary compared to England, and it also gives us a bit of breathing space to check out secondaries once we're there - DS does have a diagnosis of ASD but high functioning and our council is so over subscribed in terms of SEN provision requests that he just doesn't meet the threshold, it's a struggle i know loads of families face..

Thanks for the recommendation Kaffiene :) I'll definitely check it out.

I went to Firrhill but many many years ago. It's quite a mixed catchment and seems to do really well. I was from the rougher bit and made good friends with "posh" people from Colinton Village etc. People who played the viola and rode horses - i thought it was amazing! My primary has been knocked down now but Pentland primary would be where i would have gone now.

Friends from Kirknewton really rated Balerno. Their son has aspergers and seemed to do really well. He's left now though.

Remember Edinburgh isn't very big and transport I think is still pretty good. I used to do a shop in the supermarket on Princes street and qualified to get home delivery out to Penicuik as it was under 10 miles.

A mixed catchment is good, and I'm intrigued by your description of Colinton Village . Thanks again for replying.

I'm also looking at Portobello - has anyone any experience of Towerbank/Brunstane primaries etc?

I really do appreciate your help - I feel completely blind!

I was very impressionable . I grew up on a council estate in the late 60s/70s, one of 7 kids, both parents worked but we were still pretty much on the poverty line. If someone had a proper bike (complete with brakes etc) I was pretty impressed. Then I went to high school and was reasonably bright so ended up in the upper streams sitting next to folk whose parents were "professionals" and who went to pony cub and drama and played instruments - it was some eye opener I can tell you! No idea what the village is like now, but plenty of nice properties about. there are a few villages absorbed into Edinburgh, I lived in Corstorphine village for a while. When we were kids we walked into Colinton a lot and had loads of picnic iin spylaw park as well as the braidburn valley, it's a nice area with great views to the pentlands and i remember nice clear air as it sits a bit higher.

I have family in Portobello but "kids" are now in their 40s. I wouldn't live there if I worked out towards the airport though unless I worked very different hours. The bypass is a shitstorm and going anyway through town is effectively a 20mph limit for most of it.

I was suspicious about the commute from Portobello as it's pretty much the opposite side of town, shame but I appreciate the tip!

What's your budget, OP? That will be the biggest deciding factor in where you live.

About 5/550K if we can find somewhere to buy in the time frame allowed by the lockdown - otherwise we'll have to rent initially. We've figured out we can afford a flat centrally (which is another consideration with 2 young kids), or a house further out..

Portobello is lovely, great beach, near Holyrood Park, lots of open space around, lots going on for families. But it would not be fun travelling from there to the airport side of town every day. You could cycle, there are good off-road cyclepaths, but it would take you an hour or more.

Towerbank is one of, if not the biggest primary school in Edinburgh and doesn't have much outdoor space but it's a great school and makes good use of the beach for outdoors. Brunstane was a bit of a poorer school but recently got a fab new head teacher so has really turned around. Duddingston Primary is also in the area, smaller than Towerbank, lots of green space in the playground.
But I would think the commute will make this side of town less desirable, although plenty of people do work out that way and survive.

Corstorphine might work for you, OP. I wouldn't consider a rush hour commute from Porty to the airport - the bypass is just gridlocked at that time.

Also there are a few estate agents who are still operating, under limitations - I'll try to find the link - have just attached a screenshot but it's worth checking out their FB pages.

warnersllp.com/news/edinburgh-pro-active-property-group-(eppg)/

Do NoT countenance the bypass. It’s awful.

I agree noworries. I think if you already lived in that area or you had ties to the area then you'd make it work. But, to arrive fresh and have your choice, I think there are many lovely areas to choose from that would be far better in practical terms and still fit the bill. If you really want sea then look at Silverknowes. Still be busy traffic but a lot closer to where DH needs to be. Would that be Royal High?

If you search on ESPC, you can search by school catchment which might help?

Avoid Trinity Academy at all costs, my ASD son goes there and they are less than useless

For a budget of 550K, I'd look at Cammo, Barnton, Craigmount, East Craig's, Corstorphine. Cramond is nice but you're on the flight part & there's no focal point (although the waterfront & harbour are pretty),

Some parts of Silverknowes are a bit close to Muirhouse/Pilton & there's no real centre or shops.

South Queensferry/Dalmeny are maybe worth a thought, along with Winchburgh- although lots of new builds there.

Also Linlithgow - great transport links & schools, reasonable commute to airport. Nice high street & outdoors.

Another vote here for Tollcross Primary as somewhere that provides excellent extra support for children who need it, both through additional support staff and the main teaching staff. It’s very inclusive and while there are multiple reasons why it stands out from other primaries in Edinburgh there was a headmaster from the mid-80s to 2010 who ran a tight ship but was also one of the most caring people I’ve ever met and his ethos of welcoming all has been maintained by subsequent head teachers. It’s also a very mixed school in terms of pupil’s backgrounds due to the mix of housing in the area, it takes in children from some of the wealthier parts of Edinburgh and council housing. The school also get a lot of families from abroad who have a parent working at the university or one of the cities’ hospitals. It’s very diverse and the school is geared up to support everyone.

One of my children who suffers from anxiety went through Tollcross and was brilliantly supported throughout and with the transition to Gillespies’s high school. We’ve found that the high school also provides excellent support, another child who was in the same class as my daughter is autistic and his parents are very happy with the support the school are giving.

Noworrieshere, thank you for the info on the primary schools - I love the idea of living by the sea.. but I think the commute would get old for my DH very quickly, thanks fascinated. He is planning on cycling to work but that won't happen every day and the move needs to work for all of us.
Thanks so much glassofprosecco - I'll definitely have a look at that site, I wouldn't have found that, brilliant! Also, thanks for the area ideas, we've thought about corstorphine but I think a few of them are a bit further out than we were thinking, but I'm trying to keep an open mind..!
WaxOn, espc has been a regular visit but I have a feeling they're closed at the moment because there haven't been any new listings for a while - am keeping an eye out.
Toomanytigers, does your son have a formal plan or are you relying on the SEN support at the school? Sorry to hear it's not going well, it can be an uphill struggle.

I have relatives at Firrhill. It’s still a reasonable school. Still quite mixed. Balerno might be a better option as close to airport and amazing hills? If you go for Firrhill then for your budget, check out fairmilehead