London SEN schools (especially south)

[ET38]

Hi - currently looking at secondary schools for my year 5 son who is currently in a specialist setting. Needs small class size (currently in class of 8 with a lot of small group work) and support for SALT which his primary need. Academically he is estimated to be 3 years behind. Also has an autism diagnosis. We are in south london, a bit overwhelmed by the whole process and still recovering from how hard it was to get him into his current school (out of LA) 18 months ago!
Does anyone have knowledge they can share? Or a recommendation of someone who might be able to help with this as LA and school's knowledge is quite limited and there seem to be so few resources to support finding the right place. Thanks so much!

You can search for schools here. I found it helpful to make a spreadsheet. Start with your LA then work outwards.

They are marmite schools, but Blossom House and Capella House are SLCN schools. Parents either love them or hate them, I think.

Not SLCN schools, but many of their DC have ASD with communication difficulties, you could look at St Phillips, The link school (mixed reputation) or Elm Court. DS will be towards the top of these cohorts so it will depend on the cohort they have/will have for DS’s specific year, how you think he would cope with that, and exactly how DS presents.

If you are looking for something more academic, you could look at Brookways, The Spring school or The Rise. Depending on where you are, St Dominic’s may be within travelling distance.

Depending on where you are in South London Skylarks (you will also hear it called Ashley Park) might be within travelling distance. They have different pathways for different profiles of needs.

Thanks so much for this. Elm Park is probably closest to us and I am about to view it but I’ve really struggled to find anyone local who has a child there.
Blossom House v much on our radar but we’ve been told we can’t even view the south sites unless we have a place there - I appreciate that there is huge interest in it but it feels like an odd ethos nevertheless. We are looking at the Euston site though. I think we would struggle to have it covered by LA and covering the cost ourselves would mean selling our house to downsize - it’s just so hard to know if it’s that much better than the alternatives. And whether we could live with disrupting the life of our other child to that degree when they are already hugely impacted as a sibling.
Really appreciate your reply. I will keep on!

It is possible to get Blossom House named in EHCPs. Some have to appeal, but it is possible, so I wouldn’t rule it out on cost if you think it is the school DS needs.