SEN unit mainstream

[Lifelife]

Is anyone’s child in a unit attached to a mainstream like a Sen unit? If so can you tell me how they work? My sons in a mainstream but he has just been issued a ehcp after I made a parental request, I would like him to go to a Sen unit his school has one but it’s girls only so he will need to move schools can someone tell me how this will work as I was told they are expected to be in mainstream class 80% of the time? Which seems odd to me I thought they spend the majority of the time in the Sen unit?

I work in a mainstream school with a unit. All children there follow different plan dependent on needs some will be in unit full time, others attend just for 1 or 2 subjects some just come for a quiet space at lunch

DS' school has a SEN unit, he isn't in it so I don't know an awful lot other than there are a few children from that unit attached to DS' class and come in for certain lessons or activities with their TA. It was sports day yesterday and the three boys from the SEN class were there and fully joined in, and we're cheered along by their classmates the same as everyone else. DS has made good friends with one of them and we've had him round for playdates. I can't speak to the provision within the class but it seems a good way to combine mainstream with specialist provision from an outside perspective

My two dc attended a unit in primary school then they both went to (different) special schools. They never got back into mainstream although that was the aim and to my knowledge not many children did.

thanks all still waiting for the draft so will go from there, it's so hard to know what to do for the best!

OP this is a late response as I only just spotted your post. Can I give my view as a Mum of a now young ND adult? My DS was diagnosed in primary and had a 1:1 who went with him to secondary. We chose a small secondary school as he gets overwhelmed easily. He was in a SEN unit most of the time and loved school. The unit did not have many SEN students so he had a lot of adult attention. After school he went to a SEN department in a local college and was in a small group. In September he will be in the 3rd year at a diferent fully SEN college where everyone is in need of equal attention, so he does not get the spotlight as much as before! He does have a real problem where he gets on with adults far better than his contemporaries because he did not mix with other students much at primary or secondary. I really regret not spotting this early on. My advice is if you do choose a school with a SEN unit, that you also sign up for an after school club or Saturday club so your DC mixes with NT and ND contemporaries. I did try a SEN Saturday club but feel left it too late and he refused to go. Good luck!