Schools for gifted children with SEN

[Alice2012]

My DS (year 1/5.5 year old) has been identified as high learning potential (99.9%) with fine motor dyspraxia + sensory processing disorder (vestibular/properceptive/tactile).

At home, he is learning to touch type and doing OT+physiotherapy.

He thrives and shines when stimulated, but becomes completely defiant when forced to do work below his ability or too repetitive.

We live in SW London. Any suggestion for schools?

have you had a look at montessori schools? the one i linked is in West london because as far as i am aware there isn't currently one in the SW. you can find out more about what a montessori education is here, but because it is widely pupil lead, your son can work at his own pace and so won't be stuck at something that is too slow for him. when he feels himself getting bored he can move to another 'subject'. the websites make more sense than i do! all the best x

Hi OP - do you mean primary schools or secondary?

Thank you sleepismysuperpower1!

Indeed he does sound like the perfect Montessori candidate. However, we see a number of issues and risks with the Montessori route, because of the lack of structure. He needs structure to regulate his intense emotions, but also to gain the study skills, work ethic/discipline, motivation which will make a difference between realising his potential or being a failure.

Also, no great Montessori schools around SW London.

Hi random00.

We are not so concerned about secondary schools for now.

We are quite concerned about the immediate future. It is very challenging to deal with our DS at this age, he is like a man inside a child body, which causes great frustrations. But we expect he should grow into himself by the time he reaches secondary school and, provided he has a positive primary school experience, he should be easier to manage then? At least that's what we hope.

You might get more replies in the primary school section, you have posted in the secondary school forum.

It depend on what you really want for your child. What do you define as below his ability and repetitive? I fought for my dc when he was forced to do times table chart, faster and faster, beyond normal limit by writing correct answer. But that was the only thing I argued with school/teacher. My dc was forced to read the books below his reading ability for years, but he actually enjoyed reading any books.
You need to speak to the teacher, but I don't think everything they do is worthless.
And why are you posting on secondary for 5 years old? You can post either on primary or G&T rather than secondary.

The Moat is opening a Primary soon......worth a look!

Hi Alice. If your son is 5, I take it he’s already in a school? Is it that you’re not happy and need to move him?

Also can I reassure you that he’ll be absolutely fine! So many children have Ed Psych Assessments at such a young age and a huge deal is made out of them. At that age, my son was on the 99.9 centile for VR, NVR, reading, maths etc but also on something like the 18 centile for speed processing. “Oh he’ll be so frustrated and struggle every day of his life,” one teacher said. They wouldn’t diagnose him with fine motor dyspraxia as they said he was too young (they tend to wait until about 7). He had some OT etc.

Anyway, what a fuss over nothing. Children develop at different rates. By the age of 9 or 10, he was doing very well at school. Not the most sporty / co-ordinated child, but so what? You couldn’t tell much difference. Nor was he “gifted”. Towards the top of the top sets in a prep yes, but not gifted. He did well at 11 plus and got into one of the “London Day Schools” (with no extra time) where he’s been mid cohort. He did get extra time for GCSE because the school noticed he was dropping very few marks in the mocks, but not getting to the last question (I’m very grateful to them for this). Anyway, he went back to the same Ed Psych he saw when he was 6. Rather than being on the 18th centile for speed processing, he was now on the 83 centile. And he was no longer on the 99.9 for the other aspects, but averaging around 98, I think. So this just shows how things are fluid and they find their own strategies as they develop. He did qualify for extra time though as they allow it for anything under 85. He got ten grade 9s at GCSE. He’s certainly not considered remotely “gifted” or even stand out in his school though because most of them got these kind of grades.

To be honest, most children have a “spiky” Ed Psych profile at 5, because intellectual and physical development are not uniform. As they grow, they find strategies to compensate for any “weaknesses”.

Maybe find a prep with a good SEN dept for now. If you are looking for independents, I can recommend Prospect House in Putney? Great SEN but also good track record of getting very bright pupils (and there are many there)! to reach their full potential - whatever that may be! Very supportive and informed school. The Unicorn School in Kew is also lovely. Or Fulham Prep?

Could be describing my DS 20 years ago. We stayed mainstream state, got help with dyspraxia at primary, nothing at selective secondary but extra time for exams, and Disabled Student Allowance at uni. Came out in the wash, with a little help along the way. My first port of call would be addressing the dyspraxia. If he feels more confident in his physical abilities, that may well translate to better performance elsewhere.