Herts and surrounding areas - school options for 2e autistic girl

[Corilee2806]

Hi all, I’m looking for help finding schools in/near Hertfordshire that can genuinely meet the needs of a very academically able autistic girl (2e). She is very bright/advanced reader, but mainstream is not working due to sensory overload, anxiety and severe EBSA - she hasn’t been in school since the end of November and this has been ongoing since the start of year 1. She’s 7 now and in year 2.

Key needs:

• calm, low-arousal environment (noise/chaos is a big trigger)
• staff who understand autistic girls / masking / demand anxiety
• gradual, relationship-based support (trusted key adult / consistent approach)
• emotionally safe culture (no shaming/forcing; we’re not ok with physical prompting/restraint as a “solution”)
• academically stretching / not assumed to be “fine” because she’s clever

We’re pursuing EHCP/alternative provision routes, but I’m trying to map realistic school options too. I’m not looking to deregister/home ed yet and I’m not looking for “try a different mainstream and it’ll be fine” unless it’s genuinely exceptional for SEND.

Can anyone recommend schools (maintained or independent) within ~45–60 mins of Hertford that fit this profile?

Also happy for “avoid” warnings. Please DM if you’d rather not post publicly.

From my search so far it seems this is very hard to find but grateful for any suggestions!

You could look at Hertford Prep (St Joseph’s). Quite small and they are one of the more nurturing independent mainstreams and willing to admit some DC with EHCPs. They are bigger but I know someone whose 2e DC was happy at Sherrardswood. However, they are still MS, and for some, the sensory environment of any MS is too much. Depending on where in Herts you are, it is probably too long a journey at that time in a morning, but I have helped someone whose DC with SEN are/were happy at St Christopher.

You are unlikely to find a special/specialist school within 45-60mins who can stretch DD academically and have a peer group at Y2, I’m afraid.

For Y3, if you get an EHCP, you could look at Silverways. It is out of area and would be a very long journey at school run times, probably too long, but you might think it is worth it. They can cater to more academically able DC although don’t have swathes of gifted pupils. Because they are small, it will also depend on the cohort they will have for DD’s year group. And it doesn’t suit all.

Lots of DC with your DD’s presentation end up with EOTAS/EOTIS if independent MS is still too overwhelming.

Thanks for this - have looked at Hertford Prep before as we are in Hertford but wasn’t sure about size etc. I might go and look in the new year just to get a feel. I have looked at duncombe before which is very near us but it still was a fairly typical school environment. I do have a feeling she may end up with EOTAS/home Ed. Is silverways in Enfield? That would be a nightmare in traffic probably. Haven’t heard of it though so will look into it. She joins year 3 next Sep and we’re at the very start of the EHCP process so will take a good while.

Silverways is in Enfield. It would be a very long journey at school times, particularly in the morning, and some DC wouldn’t cope with that (or the school in general. For some it is still too overwhelming), but I know someone who considered it for their DC from Herts. In the end, they went elsewhere.