Attachment needs therapeutic school

[Nenanena]

Asking for a friend whose adopted child needs a change of school placement. Has an EHCP for SEMH. Has long term trauma and attachment difficulties and if not with the right adults can become distressed, disruptive, fleeing room and sometimes lashing out. Does anyone know of good specialist schools in South London or Kent where her daughter might find the right approach? Something therapeutic perhaps? She’s year 5 so ideally would take secondary-aged too. Thank you.

There should be an Educational Psychologist with special responsibility for children who are or have previously been looked after in your authority. They should be able to advise.

The needs you describe can cover a wide range of presentations, so my suggestions may be well off the mark (apologies if they are) and may not be within travelling distance depending on where in Kent/South London they live, but they could look at Octavia House - covers primary and secondary but have different sites for different ages. Merrywood school has 2 sites (one in Surrey and one in Sutton), worth considering, IMO. They may be too far South in Kent but they could look at Caldecott School, Little Acorns and Heath Farm. There’s also Meadows in Kent - might not be suitable if your friend’s DD absconds from the school’s site when she flees the classroom, though.

Just so you/your friend are aware, a school being named for primary school now doesn’t guarantee it will continue to be named for secondary. They should still be a phase transfer review in the autumn term of Y6 and the EHCP naming the secondary placement must be finalised by 15th Feb of Y6.

If my previous suggestions are off the mark, you could look at West Heath, but that will depend on the level of VCB displayed.

Thank you for the suggestions, very helpful.

If your friends daughter has an EHCP, an annual review will be needed to discuss needs and possible change of provision. Imo it will be important to understand these further before researching specific schools that may not be appropriate, feasible or in child's best interests.

Apparently at the meeting it was agreed that her daughter needs something more specialist and attachment-focused than what is available locally, with a therapeutic element, and she was pretty much told that she would need to look further afield. I think she has another meeting soon with someone who can offer suggestions but she is keen to do her own research.

Your friend is wise to do her own research.