Transfer to Secondary Special School

[Pipkin1812]

My DD has Downs Syndrome and is currently in Year 4 mainstream school, she started in reception a year below her chronological age group. So agewise she would already be in Year 5. She will probably go to special school at secondary transfer. LEA are saying if she stays in maistream she could carry on through in her current cohort group but special school will not allow that so effectively she would have to transfer at end of year 5, straight into year 7, thus missing a year. Is this right?

Pipkin, sounds right to me. SS usually insist on DC being with their correct peer/age group and have a wide range of abilities in the same class. It often happens in my LA that DC cope quite well in the early years of primary, especially if they are allowed to drop back a year, but the gap widens as they get older and the extra year is no longer enough.

I'd try to visit the class in the SS to see if you can envisage your DD fitting in there. As she'd be making new friends anyway at a new school, losing old friends by jumping a year won't apply.