Transition to special school autistic son

[Gemmalouise2]

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has any tips on making the transition to special school easier for my son. He’s autistic and has sensory processing disorder, he is due to start his transition to his new school on the 24th June. I have been talking through his new timetable with him and he seems to be excited for the move, his first question when I told him he would definitely be going to the new school was is there bullies there 🥲

Is he starting properly after the summer? How old?

With mine, if he was already starting to worry, I would be trying to keep his mind off it until the transition work started, as the chances are as soon as he starts that the big hole where he can’t imagine what they new place will be like will be filled with what it’s actually like, which is probably better than he is fearing, so the anxiety reduces.

The bullies question is hard as you can’t reassure him there won’t be, only that there are far fewer kids and far more adults supervising, so it’s less easy to bully.

We drove past the new school a few times before the actual transition started, and stopped and had a peer through the fence.

Mine was oddly excited about moving schools though, which is not his standard modus operandi!

I think they are going with how he settles to when he starts properly it is all a bit of a rush I’d appealed but the local authority decided days before the judicial review that he would be going to the school and within twenty days. He is 9 next month, my son is really excited. I have said to him it’ll be easier for the teacher to spot as there is one teacher a teaching assistant and three children including my son in the class, at his current school there is around 33 children 18 of which have Sen in some capacity

Do you have photographs or a video of the school, inside and outside? And of staff if the school will provide them. Some find that helpful. Also, a timetable of the day.

Contact the school and ask if there is anything they could do to help. You may be able to visit with him or do a video call or something. They will want the transition to work well, so if there is something that could derail it they’d want to know.

You might feel it’s a rush but 20 days is quite a long time in a child’s life. Not having a massive wait is probably useful. The school will probably just be focusing on getting to know him and giving him positive experiences of the school this side of the summer holidays.

Thank you for your input, it is greatly appreciated. I don’t have photos or videos of the school/teachers, we have been the school a few times and are due to go again Monday after school to discuss timetables and meet his teacher. I do have access to a timetable they have the tribunal. He is really excited for the afternoon of trampolining and morning of cooking scheduled in (the cooking teacher had told him on a previous visit he can make cakes there)

If you think it would help, ask the school if you can take some photographs on Monday.

Thanks we are going when all the children have left so I’m sure it won’t be a problem to ask if we can take photos