Dame Alice Owen school - autistic children

[BeachAndSea]

My children are academically able and autistic. If they were to pass the exams, would this school be a good fit for them? Would anyone recommend it for autistic children? We need strong pastoral care and understanding of SEND. Thank you.

i don’t have first hand experience but from what I have heard SEND/pastoral provision there is not strong. The head teacher is fond of saying “we are an unashamedly academic school so if feel your child will need a lot of SEND support this probably isn’t the right school for you”. Bizarre given that so many highly academic kids, like your DC, need good SEND support.

but maybe things have moved on and others will be along soon with more useful first-hand experience

Yes, I read an old thread saying that. I’m hoping to hear it’s not true. You can’t have a school without autistic or ND children!

Bump?

anyone?

Surely there are some children with similar needs there?

I live in the same area and it’s very academic but I know nothing about the send provision. I’d ask for a tour and get a feel for it based on questions you ask. You may be better off joining a local fb page than Mumsnet