Changing school in year 10: WWYD

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DD has ALN, related to ADHD, mainly executive function issues ( organisation etc) and working memory issues.
She's currently in an indie girls' school, which is rated excellent. However, the SEN support isn't great and we have had quite a few issues with trying to get support in place this year. At the end of year 9, we have no idea what GCSE grades DD may hope to achieve; her end of year exams results range from 88% to less than 40% ( the latter being in a core subject).

She has the chance now to move to an indie co-ed, also rated excellent. A lot of the organisational support DD needs is already given to all pupils as a matter of course, and the last inspection report states that their ALN strategies are very effective.
Our DS is already at the school, so we have some experience of the school as a whole, but no experience of the ALN side of things.

Obviously, we only have a very small time frame to make a decision.

DD doesn't want to move school. She doesn't have a lot of self-confidence and says the thought of having to start again, make new friends etc is daunting. That said, her friendship group seems to have imploded in the last couple of weeks, to the point that she's been in tears.

The rational part of me says that the co-ed school will be much better for her, academically. My heart wonders how she'd fair in co-ed after a couple of years in single sex, and I'm worried that it's not a great time for her to be worrying about making friends and finding her feet at the start of GCSE years.

Any words of wisdom?

DD1 has dyspraxia, including organisational & working memory issues. We found the demands for GCSE really ramped up, (and actually only got a formal diagnosis in y11).

Would the new school be where she stays for 6th form? In which case I'd be tempted to move her if the support is better, and then she'll have 4 years there.

With the working memory issues I would also consider GCSE options and how heavy they are in knowledge v technique so as to minimise issues in May of y11.

If she doesn't want to move I wouldn't move her. It's too disruptive at this point. Year 9 is a nightmare for friendships so things that seem awful will probably blow over soon. I'd be getting far more firm with the school about updates etc though.

Teen, the new school would be where, ideally, she's go for 6 th form but it would depend on her getting good GCSE grades, and currently doesn't offer one of the subjects she's interested in studying further. I need to check whether her current school does.
She's just done pretty well in the of year exams in the subjects she wants to take for GCSE, but less well in maths and a couple of the sciences; I suspect this is partly down to less good teaching and lack of support. As yet, we don't know what support she's get in the new school, but the teaching and general organisation seems to be better.

Titsywoo, I agree - the friendship stuff will blow over as quickly as it started, I'm sure.
As for getting firmer with the school, we've tried. That's what's making me think a change of school may be an option, as nothing we've done of said so far has got us very far with her current school. When I asked, at options evening, whether she was on course to pass maths, her teacher said she couldn't say. The school doesn't use 1-9 on reports, or challenge grades, and they don't give means for end of year test results, so we have no idea whether she's doing well, badly or average for her year group.

I know the friendship would be an issue, but if the new school is excellent at the support she needs and the current school aren't giving it, I would move.

You might want to spend time talking to the new school as asking what exactly they do for all students, so you can compare to current school.
There are some things which will only really happen when it is school culture.

eg, school culture to have learning objectives at the beginning of topic/lesson, so kids can see what they are aiming for. Won;t happen if it isn't whole school expectation.

I moved Ds for Year 9 from a supposedly excellent independent school to a good state school.

I wish we’d done it earlier. He’s a changed child. The SEN support is so much better. There are still some issues due to resources but the teachers at his new school just know how to deal with autism & adhd & stuff his old school were point blank refusing are done as a matter of course.

It’s not necessarily a state v private thing as Dd is at a different independent school & they have been fantastic for her.

Incidentally Ds did not want to move. He’d been at his previous school since the age of 3. But he settled, made friends & is much happier.

Thanks for all your input - very much appreciated.
We've spoken at some length to the school today, which has perhaps changed things slightly. They are more than happy to support DD and her ALN and already have all the sorts of strategies and scaffolding she would need in place. However, they have concerns that her recent science and maths exam results, combined with the fact that she has already missed a year ( I assume they teach the curriculum from year 9) mean they are worried she will struggle to keep up. Additionally, they haven't got room in the top 2 sets for English, which is a subject she is doing very well in. I'm less concerned about the English situation, but the maths and sciences is a real concern, both from the POV of moving AND staying; how on Earth is she going to pass if she stays at her current school, if the ' better' school are worried she'll struggle if she moves?

The other school are happy to assess her ASAP and take it from there, but maybe that's now pointless? It's so hard/ impossible to know whether her less good results are from lack of support, or lack of ability.