Finding a 1:1

[UnsureAndUnsteady]

Hi, my son is 7 (just) and is at a small Surrey prep school. He doesn’t have any learning difficulties (besides a bit of slow processing) but is highly anxious which is causing him to exhibit ADHD type behaviour and means that he is disruptive in class and isn’t learning (or demonstrating his learning) at school.

He currently has a 1:1 which the school work with but she is not a good fit for him as she enables his avoidant behaviour by doing most of the work for him and cannot help him regulate his emotions. This is through more lack of interest on the 1:1’s as my son can regulate himself for other people. The school have been the ones to flag this up to us and suggest that we need a different 1:1. However this is much easier said than done!!!! Does anyone have any ideas how/where I would go about finding a 1:1 worker for my son? Any suggestions would be gratefully received

Won’t the school help?

They don’t have anyone they can suggest. The one person they do have knowledge of really isn’t a good fit for my son. He doesn’t qualify for an EHCP...yet! We are trying to get ahead of the game and help him manage his anxiety before it becomes ingrained behaviour

My son also has 1:1 support at a small prep school - although I have the opposite problem in that the school want him to have more support than I want! I'm pushing for lighter touch.

Anyway, I digress! The school have recruited all of his 1:1s (though we have to pay for them whilst EHCP is going through). Due to child protection etc, they have to be employees of the school. As such, I'd be pushing them to lead recruitment.

We've got a new girl starting after half term. She's been working at the school's nursery whilst she finishes her psychology degree. She now wants to be an ed psych and needs a year of work experience. So I'm hopeful that she's going to be much better than some of the mosr passive babysitters/body guards we've had!

It's hard to get the right fit but I'd ask school to lead. Are there any universities nearby? It might be worth approaching their childhood studies/psychology departments? We had an ex teacher for half a term and she found it too intense (my son is actually very good company I will add!!). So they need to have the energy to keep your child engaged, but also the authority to make them do the work...!