ASC diagnosis - secondary school applications

[Squirrelwithanapple]

My son is in year 6 and has recently been diagnosed with ASC.

In the meantime we have had to apply for secondary schools.

He currently attends a small private school and has thrived - class size of 15, two form entry. He hasn't had any particular support, he is meeting or above expectations in all areas. It is a nurturing school.

Socially, he is now doing well after a bit of a shaky start, we moved him during Covid as his state school was really poor.

TBH he finds school ok. He likes the rules and routines.
He doesn't have an EHCP and we have been told that he is unlikely to get one.

We live near a huge comprehensive school with a terrible reputation. There is a smaller school a mile away which we really liked and DS wants to go to. We spoke to the LA and they told us to put down as much information as we could setting out why this would be the best school for him - he was going through assessment at the time and the EP wrote a supporting letter.

We are in a London Borough next to a Grammar area - he passed the grammar test but we are outside of catchment (they take the top 180 regardless of address, he was outside of that). Info really - just to demonstrate he is academically able we knew he had a very slim chance of a place although he is still on a waiting list (over 100 ahead of him).

We also applied to two private schools (as we are really dead against him going to the big comp).

We received the diagnosis report in January (DS sat the assessments for private schools the same week). We told the LA straight away and sent the diagnosis to them, it clearly stated that a smaller school would be beneficial but no recommendations for specialist school, mainstream with a few accommodations (such as setting out expectations, writing instructions as he cannot process more than 1 thing at a time, some common sense recommendations for transition to yr7 - really nothing I would see as a deal breaker for a mainstream school).

We were told a week later that DS had passed the entrance exam for private school 1 and had been invited to interview. We told them about the diagnosis before the interview. He did the interview but was rejected (everyone else we know who did the interview at least got a reserve list place). We never even spoke to the SENCO after informing her of the diagnosis which sets alarm bells ringing for me.

The second private school was just based on the exam. We told them about the diagnosis and we just got an email on results day saying he had failed the exam. I am suspicious of this as far less academically able NT kids in my son's class did pass....

I feel really angry on DS's behalf - getting the diagnosis was supposed to help him but it has done the complete opposite. He is not "bad enough" to be placed in a smaller comp but the diagnosis alone is enough to prevent any private school coming near him.

I refresh the waiting list every day for his preferred school but he is 15th on the list and there are 135 places - he has gone down the list and not up.

We are submitting an appeal but I don't think we will be successful- I just don't understand how the same report can mean completely different things to state vs private schools.

The admission process to state schools for those without EHCPs is determined by the oversubscription criteria. You will need to look at the policies of the specific school. Not all schools have an exceptional social or medical needs criteria. Even when they do, the bar is high. On its own, the vast majority with ASD wouldn’t usually meet the criteria. You would need evidence why that school is the only school that can meet needs. Rather than just the best school for him or just needing a smaller school in general.

The bar for an appeal isn’t so high. Decisions are made on the balance of prejudice. You need to show the disadvantage to DS of not attending that school outweighs the prejudice to the school of admitting him. So, ask the EP and current school if they will put in writing what support DS needs. It would be preferable if they would name the school. It should be “In my opinion…” rather than “mum says…” Then move on to look at other things that might be relevant. For example, the school’s music/sport/language offer.

Are there any other schools you would prefer that you can go on the waiting list/appeal for?

In the meantime, request a meeting with the SENCO at the offered school.

Thanks - our EP is helping with our appeal, it is tight though as the deadline is Friday but she has been really busy.

Their over subscription criteria is looked after children/ previously looked after children, siblings, children of staff, health and special access then distance. We are currently considered in 5 (distance) but want to be in 4.

I do have a meeting with the SENCo at the school he has been given - not until after Easter though.

The only other state school that I would consider is even further away and even more oversubscribed.

Is there anything I can do about the private schools? Or just suck up the fact that us getting him a diagnosis has made him a private school pariah?

I have been recommended some other private schools but they are all 1hr+ away, one might even have to be weekly boarding so (for me) not an option until later perhaps.

The bar to be considered under 4 is high. It is unusual for DC with ASD alone to be considered under that criteria.

Independent schools have to comply with the Equality Act, but from what you say, you are unlikely to get far.

Most independent schools require SEN to be disclosed, diagnosis or not, so it is unlikely not having a diagnosis would have significantly changed things.

Thank you for your replies @ChasingMoreSleep it just feels really unfair - can't get into a private school and gets no help getting into a school that will clearly be better for him. He doesn't even need that much additional support.

his undiagnosed friends have the choice of private schools.

We should never have gone for a diagnosis.

OP - I’m not sure where you are, but have you looked at Kingswood House Epsom. It goes to 16; very ND friendly but mainstream. We had a similar suspicious experience re 11+ where selective private school pretend to be Sen friendly, but even though I know my ds would have done well in exams (he is a 100% kid), I swear that due to disclosure of ND/ASD and being quiet, that was held against him. But no proof and there isn’t anything you can do about it. There are plenty of private schools which will want your dc. Personally, I figure it’s best to be in an environment where he is truly wanted rather than try and force into a place which looks great on paper / facilities / results amazing, but if he’s not wanted.. it would be awful.

Even without a diagnosis, most independent schools require parents to disclose SEN and will withdraw the offer if they find out parents have lied, so you would have had to disclose DS’s SEN diagnosis or not.

If DS genuinely needs little support, the offered school should be able to meet needs. If, however, DS needs more support than you first think, including requiring a certain type of setting, you should request an EHCNA.

You are perfectly in your rights not to disclose any diagnosis, whether this is to a school, university or employer. Autism is also not per se SEND or a disability, it is a neurodivergency, so more like being left handed, it's a difference, not a disability. I have 2 autistic children, one has SEND, the other, doesn't (i.e. one qualifies for accommodations in school and exams, needs learning support and has an individual learning plan, the other needs and has nothing in place and is always top at everything without practicing or without anyone doing anything to support her. The only thing they need that a 'normal' school won't provide is more autonomy and flexibility). But ultimately, you want a supportive school who is eager to know how to best support your son and be proudly open about his autism. An alternative for academic autistic children could be private online schooling. It could at least be a bridge to weekly boarding for GCSEs or A levels at a more inclusive school. At schools like MVA or KIH there are hundreds if not thousands of students in London who can meet up, go on regular school trips, even residentials etc. Especially MVA celebrates neurodivergency rather than being embarassed about it. You can also have in person tutoring in addition to online classes. It could be at least a good stop gap until he is ready for weekly boarding. Both my autistic children moved from private schools to online schools and are enjoying it. Where we live, we have better suited physical options at 16, so we are planning to keep them online until then.

Autism is also not per se SEND or a disability

This is wrong. ASD meets the legal definition of SEN as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. It also meets the legal definition of disability, as per the Equality Act 2010.

If your DC, who you claim doesn’t have SEN, needs more autonomy and flexibility than is typically available in mainstream schools, as you also say, they meet the legal definition of having SEN. To think they don’t misunderstands the legislation.

You are free not to disclose but if the school's application T&Cs require you to include SEN/suspected SEN on the application and the school finds out they can and sometimes do withdraw the offer for giving false information on the application.

For some employment, you do need to disclose.

@ChasingMoreSleep Well, neither any school she's attended nor LA think her needs need any accommodations or support. My daughter was very unhappy at her last school due to lack of flexibility, but she was still top of class and had not been absent for a single day. Some shools are sometimes the wrong place for some children, but that only means that the school (and in the UK, I would say school system) is broken, not the child. And it would be incredibly unfair on her that just because she wasn't willing to endure a very Victorian 7am to 10pm boarding school regime she is seen by future schools and employers as 'disabled' and unemployable. Autism Syndrome is a syndrome. She was flagged up because she started talking at 7 months, did arithmetics to 1000 at 1, as a 4 year old she read Wittgenstein, she signed herself up as a 3 year old for violin lessons and enjoyed the ritual of daily practicing, but she also enjoyed sports, especially daring stuff. She never enjoyed role play or stories. She was very different from your typical child, and at times that was isolating for her and caused mental distress, but there is no way that you can call a self motivated, first violin, A star student with good friends (many of them were adults and now that she is older and jumped 2 years ahed in school classmates) who, when we removed her from school was asked by the school to keep coming in on afternoons as a volunteer to teach the younger ones violin, as having SEND. As a 11 year old she made her own way across town to a volunteer teaching job, on the way home doing the shopping and then cooking dinner. Giftedness has been removed from the medical and educational language, as has Aspergers syndrome. Now children who are 'too bright' for the system get an ASC or ASS diagnosis. They are different, but they have not needs in the same way as children who need extra support. The only support these type of children need is no support - they just want to get on with it, doing year 10 maths in year 6, having as much time as they need for composing and performing their own music, or doing a psychology research paper in their spare time. They are not 'normal', but they don't have a declarable disability and educational needs. There must be language to describe differences in people and to acknowledge that we all have needs, and some people's needs are different from other's, without turning this into a disability. A diagnosis was meant to help people understand themselves better, not as victimisation. We have also never taken any money from the state for her, and she hasn't cost the taxpayer a penny in support or even basic education, so there is no reason at all to call her disabled.

Schools and LAs thinking a child does not have SEN doesn’t mean they don’t. That is evident in statistics. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many successful appeals to SENDIST. One look at threads on here will demonstrate that.

100% attendance and being academically able don’t preclude a CYP meeting the legal definitions having SEN &/or a disability. Neither does being talented at things, having friends, or not costing the state anything.

I didn’t mention anything about being ‘broken’. Having SEN or a disability isn’t the same as being broken.

It isn’t about victimisation.

Having SEN or having a disability doesn’t mean someone is unemployable. Statistically disabled people are less likely to be in employment, but that isn’t the same as all DC with a disability being unemployable.

Neither the DSM or the ICD use the wording ‘Autism Syndrome’.

As I said a CYP needing more autonomy and flexibility than is typically available in mainstream schools meet the legal definition of having SEN. You might disagree with the legal definition but that doesn’t change that fact.