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 :)

Cramond is great and Linlithgow is a good shout. Remember you won’t be able to pick and choose secondary school, it really depends on where you buy your house. Out of area placement requests are unlikely to be accepted.

If you are where I think you might be nr airport in finance on a campus then it is a v easy cycle from Currie and Balerno. Lots of new houses just up at Ratho, too. Just watch out for local chicken farms, can be pongy if Wind in a certain direction. Also flightpath.

facinated I was presuming either RBS or one of the Gyle/Edinburgh park peeps.

You could cycle from Cramond or even Silverknowes, but not from Portobello!
I've read the thread and it's not clear to me that the OP understands that where you live dictates which primary and which secondary you go it, with the exception of being able to make a placing request but with no guarantee at all of it being met. So looking at the espc with regard to type of property, location and amenities to narrow some areas down, and then looking at the ones with the best schools.
The ASN department in the school will have a lot to do with how well supported your ds is. This is a tricky one to advise on as a change of staff can change things very quickly.

Also worth meeting is that the council is planning to alter catchments around Currie & build a new school at Maybury to cope with the new builds being built there. So what is currently catchment now will change considerably in some areas.

There is a cycle path from S Queensferry in to town, through Cramond, D Mains, Blackhall & Murrayfield - it will link with a new one will go from Barnton to Maybury with the new builds.

Corstorphine is nice, lots of shops, great transport links & only 10-15 mins in to town. Murrayfield is closer to town but I don't think the budget will go as far there.

Hi Bellebelle, sorry for some reason I missed your comment - but it's really helpful thank you so much. Anxiety it a big trigger for my son and I've seen his self confidence and therefore learning plummet under the wrong teacher. Also good to hear about Gillespie's, I read that it's a good school, but there's no beating personal experience. :)

Ah, I missed page 2!

Thanks all

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow, I'm definitely going to be looking closer at Firrhill and Balerno so I'll check out fairmilehead.
WaxOn, yes he'll be at Gyle and fascinated that's a hilarious but brilliant tip about the chicken farms!
Aurignacion and Iggi999, thanks for replying - I had managed to figure out the strict catchment, it's pretty crazy where we live now so I was suspicious it would be similar in Edinburgh, but that's ok because we are concentrating on the schools first and then seeing what is available accommodation-wise. I absolutely understand what I'm asking for is impossible to advise on really due to individual needs being just that, but you are all helping me to get a feel for what the schools and areas are like generally - in the end we are just going to have to cross our fingers and leap!
GlassOf, yes I understand catchments shift around - I've found the council maps and will keep an eye on them, thanks.

Honestly though the area/school will have a massive impact on what you're living in, so if the type of home is important to you at all then you need to look at it before getting too set on an area. Gillespie, for example, will mean a flat - might be a really nice one, but if you want a house somewhere that central isn't a good idea.

It's a shame that you obviously cant get a drive round and a proper feel. Jumping into google maps and taking a wander round and also switching to satellite view so you can see the parks and green spaces also gives you a better feel.

Lots of nice areas sit next to to less desirable areas and in all honesty, people tend to stick to their own familiar places so i wouldn't worry about that too much.

Any particular styles of property that you prefer? You should get something pretty nice with that budget I would think, even though Edinburgh is clearly expensive. I live in Stirling which is commutable to the gyle and you'd get something really nice in this area. But a commute is maybe not the lifestyle you are looking for :)

It’s the kind of thing no estate agent will ever point out! Drive around the back roads between rbs, ratho and the Norton house hotel and you’ll see them, and there’s one right at the airport slip rd too.

Iggi999 you are 100% right, and I really need to be realistic about what would work for our family, and whether a flat would work... it's also going to depend a lot on stock and what's available, the decision may in fact be made for us..
I know WaxOn, it is very frustrating, I've moved a lot and I rely on my gut and the feeling I get about a place when I'm in it so not being able to do that is a huge challenge. Thank you for all your help.
Fascinated, hmm it's all about the local knowledge - I appreciate it, thanks.
:)

You can get somewhere really nice for that budget, don't worry.
I'd have said before the lockdown that a flat near one of our lovely parks was just as good as having a garden, but I don't think they anymore and am glad I moved!

One thing to know about Edinburgh is that private (fee-paying) schools are very popular. And lots of people send their children to them. Some use the state schools for primary, then go private for senior school.

Another thing to know is that lots of state schools are full (over-subscribed) so living in catchment is key.

The year group your son will be joining will depend on his birthday. In Scotland the cut-off is 28th/29th Feb.

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/22448/secondary-school-roll-projections

This might be useful OP and will you the confirmation that you will need to be in catchment if you have a particular school in mind.

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/22447/primary-school-roll-projections

Primary version which will give you an idea of how full they are currently and the sizes of the various schools

I don’t think Currie or baIerno villages will be downwind tho. Just ratho maybe. Or isolated houses there, of which there are a few (which will loo cheap, but not cheap enough to make you suspicious ifkywim). Maybe check the local fb groups for those towns or google around to see what folk say.

These are good charts @WaxOnFeckOff!

Certainly at primary level, most local schools are full to capacity & don't take out of catchment requests.

However, as you go up the school, classes become smaller due to the exodus to private schools, which happens mostly at P5 & upwards.

About 1 in 4 children go privately in Edinburgh. Even those in good catchments.

Despite the fact that it's likely the schools will remain closed, their admin email boxes are still being manned, so you can email the schools for more advice.

The parent and Carers group on Facebook is really good too.

Certain high schools have specific units to support children with additional needs. They are usually included in the mainstream but have the base to go to if they feel the need or can be taught there while working on what's right for the child.

Thanks all so much!
Iggi999, I know what you mean - if it was a flat I think we'd need it to be a garden one, and I'm guessing they're like gold dust/out of budget.
WaxOn - completely brilliant! More thanks :)
Fascinated, good idea about the local fb groups - something I hadn't thought of.
Wheresthebiffer2 it's amazing how many people seem to switch to private - not us though, thanks for reiterating the catchment thing, I'm going to have to be careful - and glassofprosecco, I am hoping that it plays to our favour and opens up a couple of spaces..
Groovee, that's great to know thanks, I think I might start to make some enquiries next week when schools were officially meant to go back. I know they can be reluctant to talk to you if you don't yet have an address in their catchment but I can certainly try.

Thanks again everyone.

My kids are at Pentland and will go to Firrhill. Both schools have mixed catchments but in a positive way. Not privileged bubbles but not deprived either.
I have no experience of having a child with SEND or ASD myself but Pentland is a very caring school and seems very supportive.
For £550k you can get a nice home near lots of green space in comiston, swanston and fairmilehead but it is a genuinely mixed area so you need to look closely at street view and satellite maps.

This is a typical Pentland primary catchment house in comiston
espc.com/property/9-fox-spring-rise-edinburgh-eh10-6ne/35840881?sid=943474

My daughters are at Juniper Green. Eldest has complex medical issues, trauma from which has caused emotional fallout at times. The school has been so supportive and the pastoral care is excellent. Currie High is the secondary, it is due a rebuild and has a reasonable reputation.

I used to deliver newspapers round there with my brothers and sisters back in the 70s for Ewarts shop in oxgangs Broadway :) you've said what I was trying to say, the schools are properly comprehensive in that kids from from all walks of life.

Sounds nice!

Linlithgow academy is very good, a lovely little town, 18 mins on train to centre of Edinburgh and right side for the gyle, and you will get a lot more for your money. Edinburgh is a lovely city but schools very much hit or miss dependant on post code.