Secondary School SEND Southwark

[YourOpalDreamer]

Can anyone recommend a mixed needs secondary school in Southwark? Our son has ASD, Dyxlexia and most likely ADHD. He is very happy in primary but I can see how he will struggle in secondary mainstream school.

We live in East Dulwich and our primary school is great. our SEND coordinator has suggested he might benefit from a special school but with mixed needs.

Any recommendations would be great.

It really depends on DS’s needs. Highshore is Southwark’s mixed needs LA SS. It depends on DS’s needs as to whether it would be suitable. Some with ASD, Dyslexia and suspected ADHD would do well there. For others, it wouldn’t be suitable.

Does he have an EHCP? What is his cognitive ability? Have you had a recent ed psych assessment?

Have you looked at the cavendish group? Not in Southwark but would likely meet needs, Abingdon house in Purley, Burlington house in Streatham. Fairley house school may also be appropriate

Thanks very much. He has an EHCP and yes he has had a recent ed phsy Assesment. I have looked at Highshore and I have been recomended by a friend Fairley house. Will certainly look at other recommendations any suggestion at really key things to look at when choosing right school beyond obv appropriate ed support? .Very much appreciated.

The thing with specialist schools is that they may not be local so you have to look quite widely, 1.5 hr commute distance may be considered reasonable.
The cavendish group are marketing themselves as a specialist school for academically able children who don’t tolerate the structure and sensory environment of mainstream, they have excellent staff ratios and embed tech support to get the best from their children.
some schools will struggle with challenging behaviours due to site and safety.
some pitch at a different academic level-more functional skills than GCSEs.
you know your child and their potential challenges within a mainstream. the hard thing is knowing what good can look like, eg embedded tech support, high levels of staff suppprt, break out space, embedded movement breaks, integrated therapy, life skills teaching, flexible approach to uniform, etc etc can be deal breakers with decreasing sensory load to support the child to access education.

Fairley House isn’t a mixed needs SS. Some DC there have comorbidities but it is a SpLD school.

Fairley House and Highshore are very different schools. It would help you to think about DS’s needs, the provision he requires and what a suitable school would look like.

All may not be relevant to your situation but some questions to think about:

Class sizes?
How do they group pupils?
Which class would DC be in?
Ratio (and type) of staff in the classroom?
The training and experience of staff?
Do they have professionals on site or visiting? If visiting, how often do they visit and how many DC do they see?
Do they have a sensory room? If so (and they don’t show you), can you see it?
Do they have specialist classrooms e.g. science labs, DT, cookery?
What outside space is available?
Is the site secure?
How does the school reduce/prevent sensory overwhelm?
How do they manage dysregulated behaviour?
How does the school support/accommodate food/eating difficulties? Can they provide an adjusted lunch? Do they have a quieter room DC who are overwhelmed with the canteen/hall can eat lunch in?
Do they have DC who have reasonable adjustments to the uniform policy?
Transition arrangements?
What qualifications do they typically offer?
Where do the pupils move on to after Y11?
How does the school communicate with parents?

If it is wholly independent, what is the availability of places currently?
If an independent/NMSS, does your LA fund any pupils currently there? (An answer of no doesn’t mean it can be funded, but an answer of yes will however prevent the LA lying to you by saying ‘we don’t fund that school’.)
If wholly independent, if you have to appeal, how long would they hold the place for?

This is incredible helpful. Thanks so much for your help. It is very hard to navigate the system and also find real feedback from other parents and or relevant staff.

Hugely appreciated.

We’ve been doing further research and have visited some independent schools with strong SEND provision, including Burlington School and Riverstone, and we’re waiting to see Fairview. Their offer looks very good, but of course that’s to be expected given they are independent. Our big question is: what are the real chances of getting the Local Authority to fund a place at an independent school?
If that’s not possible — which seems likely — things become more complicated. Our child has three comorbidities (high-functioning ASD, dyslexia, and potentially ADHD), so individualised support is critical. However, we’re concerned that mainstream schools with SEND provision won’t be able to meet his needs. Feedback from parents at ED Charter, North Charters, and other Southwark schools has been discouraging, with many reporting real struggles.
We’ve also looked at special schools, but feel our child would not thrive there. The opportunities for social integration and a stimulating environment seem much more limited.
Does anyone here have a child with SEND and an EHCP who is happy in a Southwark school, or in a neighbouring borough? Any recommendations or positive experiences would be really helpful.
Many thanks.

It is possible to get independent schools named in EHCPs. Although many have to appeal. For wholly independent schools, you will need an offer of a place and to prove the LA’s proposed school(s) can’t meet needs &/or it isn’t unreasonable public expenditure.

Burlington House is a SS. While Riverston is technically a MS, it really isn’t like the vast majority of MS and is more like a SS. As demonstrated by 75% having EHCPs.

The schools you have mentioned throughout the thread are quite different to each other. It is worth thinking about what type of school DS needs.

Thanks very much @BrightYellowTrain .;

Yes I have visited both Burlington School and Riverstone. ED Charter and others are purely by catchment area with a potential initial interest as ED Charter was supposed to have ( by now I think) a Autism based unit and therefore considered a resource-based mainstream school- but based on feedback, that is far from reality.

Yes you are correct, all schools mentioned are quite different. I think we probably need to visit a wide range to be able to justify in a future application why some schools that might be pushed/suggested by LA might not be suitable.

DS needs quite a lot of support in the classroom and fears like many other will be left behind in a big mainstream school. However, I definitely think special needs schools ( at least the ones I have visited, including Highshore ) would be too restrictive from a social integration point of view.

Given he has a triple comorbidity, we are going to push for a detailed educational psychology report to determine which are the most pressing/primary needs so we can tailor the application accordingly.

You seem to be very knowledgeable about the process and system. Did you have to go through the same process? and if so did you find a suitable place or somewhere you could def recommend having a look to?

Many thanks for taking the time to read and respond

I am not local to you, but I have DC with EHCPs and help others, including some in your area, with EHCP. Hence knowing some schools.

I think it is really difficult to recommend any for you to look at because it is difficult to get a feel for DS’s needs from your posts. Not a criticism of you - it sounds like you are equally unsure and DS needs assessments so you can’t better understand his needs and the provision he requires.

I suggested Highshore because you said ‘mixed needs’ in your OP. Mixed needs is usually used to describe generic special schools who cater for a whole host of areas of needs (e.g. they might have some with ASD, some with LD, some with physical needs, etc.) but it appears that isn’t what DS actually needs and you meant DS had co-morbidities? From your further posts, if I was to guess, I would suggest DS needs an ASD school (or at least a school where the majority have ASD even if it isn't an ASD school), but obviously I haven’t met DS or seen any of his paperwork, so I could be wrong.

If you don't think MS will work but equally don't think SS will work, other than Riverston, which isn’t really MS, have you looked at any independent MS? Or do you think MS in any form will be too much?

One school that hasn’t been mentioned but might be within travelling distance is Centre Academy (it is a special school so you might think it won’t work, but it isn’t the same type of SS as, e.g. Highshore. Although some find it too overwhelming.) It isn’t strictly an ASD school, but many there have ASD. Lots have a range of co-morbidities too, e.g. SpLD, ADHD, anxiety.

Thank you- yes, I agree- we have double ( triple potential diagnosis) but at the moment I don't know what his primary needs are- particularly framing it in a secondary school. Maybe his social needs now are not very obvious, but moving to a secondary setting with many other pupils, they might become more obvious. Hence, pushing for a detailed educational psychology report and or assessment that might articulate that more clearly.

When we visited Highshore, we felt deeply disappointed as we felt it lacked ambition for our DS( teaching gardening and cooking skills). So if I had to articulate an ideal scenario, is a reduced class with 1:1 enhanced support and alternative pathways as part of the curriculum in addition to GCSEs and A levels. Our problem is that we don't seem to fit into either MS schools, as we don't feel we will receive the required support, and b special needs schools for the arguments stated above.
Burlington and Riverstone were mostly suitable options- however, as you know, they are independent and seem like a long shot with LA.

I have indeed heard about Centre Academy, but the 2022OFSTED report rated the school as inadequate. I know there have been some improvements. I am considering visiting.

Thanks so much for the input. Very grateful

Centre Academy has seen changes since their 2022 OFSTED. I think they also had once since then looking at the independent school standards. You also need to read the OFSTED reports while understanding the political scene. In 2022 and still, there is a move to limit placements in specialist independent schools and OFSTED reports need to be read against that backdrop. Although some DC still find it overwhelming and unfortunately to an extent that is the nature of that type of school.

Highshore offers a lot of more vocational options because many of their pupils will never sit academic qualifications, let alone GCSEs.

From your last post, then a typical independent mainstream is not going to work. The non-GCSE courses are usually limited.

I think don't worry too much about the number of diagnoses so much and think more about needs. We're fairly local to you, dd technically has 3 different things going on and is doing just fine in MS with adequate support (it's a single sex school so no good to you). There are children with higher support needs doing well with 121. There are a few asd hubs around as well, eg at Thomas Tallis in Greenwich, Deptford Green has a good rep for SEND as well.

Having said that I know some happy parents at Riverston which is pretty much the only SS we would have considered. It's an awkward journey from us though and we decided she'd be more regulated with a short journey. Have you also looked at MS and met some of the sencos? Most schools can also do flexible pathways anyway and especially will with it specified in an EHCP.

Thank you @Dinnerplease .

We have looked MS schools around the area, ED Charter SEND lead has almost confirmed that it would not be a suitable place for DD. He would only get reduced support in English and Maths, and then he would be expected to access the normal curriculum with the rest of the pupils, which is contradictory in itself, as he struggles with reading and following the pace of the class. He would massively struggle, considering it's a big school, and would find it challenging to move around between classes and follow the pace, particularly at an age when they become more self-aware and are more vulnerable. We have also visited Harry's boys- Not huge fan of single sex school but it definitely looked more organized and smaller, which seems to be a bonus considering options. We will be looking at Deptford next week. Had a conversation with our great SEND coordinator, and she shared her view that Southwark LA is not meeting children's needs; they are struggling with kids with rising numbers and poor budget allocation. They just get kids into school and that's it. In parallel, I spoke to a very good friend who teaches in a very popular school in the area, and he confirmed schools are admitting SEN kids with EHCP because they bring funding to schools, but they are poorly prepared to support kids with SEND, so a very grim picture in general.

What about Woodview in Orpington? Bit of a schlep but doable, I also know a few parents happy with it.

(EHCPs dont necessarily bring funding BTW, DD's has almost none attached apart from a specific therapy, it depends what the needs are).

Thank you! will have a look!