Relocating to Sussex - Secondary Schools with good SEN support In Brighton/Hove and Haywards Heath area

[MimiHK]

Advice really welcome. We are relocating to Sussex (looking ay Haywards Heath and Brighton/Hove) and wanted to get advice about secondary schools with good SEN support for my 13 year old who has dyscaluclia and dyspraxia. We currently live in Hong Kong and my kids (13 and 12) attend a small international secondary school so they are used to slightly smaller schools with adequate SEN provision. I am planning to visit schools end of September ( we will relocate to UK Easter 2020) and will be visiting Downlands, Warden Park and Oathall in HH area and Blatchington Mill and Dorothy Stringer schools in Brighton & Hove. Keen to know if anyone have experience with SEN provision at these schools or have recommendations about other schools in the those areas that you feel I should visit. We are open to location to ensure we are in right catchment areas. Thanks!

Can you afford private? Secondary school applications for next year close next month with allocations in March. You won't be able to apply until you have proof of living in the area. By the time you move the decent schools will be full so you will be allocated wherever has spaces which will probably not be schools you would choose. In any case you don't actually get to choose, you can only "express a preference".

I have two dyslexic boys and their experience in Brighton and East Sussex primary and secondary State schools was a major factor in us deciding to emigrate. They have both done really well here in Australia where we have been able to afford private. Unfortunately my experience has been that SEN provision everywhere is all about budgets, that's not confined to UK schools. I remember looking around the specialist dyslexia unit at Brighton College years ago and crying because it was so fantastic but there was no way on earth we could afford it for two kids. Good luck with the move.

Brighton secondaries are not great. Dorothy stringer has the best reputation but it is enormous 360 per year now, and you have to live right on top of it to stand a chance of getting in. You still may not get it- you could just as easily be allocated Varndean in that catchment (which is okay). Blatchington Mill popular but not guaranteed either - you could get Hove Park which isn't great. You are better off in West Sussex or East Sussex. I don't know about the SEN, but Downlands and Warden Park both have good reputations. Just make sure you live very close by. I would investigate private in your shoes if you can afford - I will be doing so for secondary (also overseas in SE Asia but will be relocating back before secondary and will relocate to mid Sussex instead of our home in Brighton). East Sussex has some great schools btw - Priory in Lewes, Chailey near Lewes and Heathfield all good.

I used to go to Warden Park and some of my friends kids go there. It's a good school but don't know much about the SN provision.

Op - I’ve heard that St Paul’s in Burgess Hill has good SEN support. It’s a Catholic secondary school, not sure how strict they are on attending Catholic Church to gain a place there though 🤔. It might be worth looking at.

Warden Park is ace and I know quite a few of the SEN department who are wonderful people. But, you need to be aware that in any state school you have to have pretty significant needs to get support at any level. I am SENCO at a private school and most of my pupils would not get support to the same level at state as they do with me and we have a couple who would be better off in state because their needs are such that they would get more one to one support. Budgets have been hugely cut in Sen provision across state schools. I don't know how affected your son is by his difficulties so you need to speak to the SENCOs in the school. Oathall also used to have a good rep as has Down??? Other side of Burgess Hill.