Where is there a good secondary school for children with AS who are academic high achievers but are frightened by the classroom chaos?

[Al1son]

I'm beginning to think we'll never get the school to give her the support she needs because she shuts down her emotions when things are difficult so they insist that she is perfectly fine. She is in a mainstream autism base but they don't accept her diagnosis and treat her like she's trying it on all the time.

We live in Worcestershire but if we could solve this by moving we'd consider it.

This school is amazing - although the website says nothing about ASD

There is a bit more info here

It might be worth ringing and having a chat with the DSP manager about what they can offer - if nothing it will give you a feel for what can be done for people with ASD.

Thank you.

I will give them a call.

Can I just ask what makes you say they are amazing?

Chilworth House Upper School in Oxfordshire. Can't recommend it highly enough, been life-changing for us. Not only do they have a high adult to child ratio (1 to 3, I teacher and 1 TA to 6 kids per class) they UNDERSTAND why certain behaviours occur and deal with them appropriately. They prepare them for GCSE's but also do key social skills activites, highly focused on reward (points awarded per lesson based on attendance, punctuality, behaviour and effort) which turns into cash at the end of the week and they go out for reward time to spend it. Lots of physical activity and trips. They also have lots of land (school is in what was previously a farm) and can go out and do outdoor activities such as campfires etc as well as sports.

They take all kinds of children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties regardless of diagnosis. The staff are wonderful too. They have excellent pastoral care and home-school communication, I often ask for help with issues at home and they are resolved by working on them at school (after all, what teenager listens to Mum and Dad lol!!). For parents of SN children in Junior school, their primary counterpart (next door) called Chilworth House School is also amazing for all the same reason.

The schools are getting quite a reputation (excellent one!) with the LEAs and CAMHS teams and rightly so.

PS they are part of the Witherslack Group.

Just Google it. It looks lovely - thanks.

I meant just Googled it!

Schools good for children usually don't advertise the fact, as it risks puting prospective Middle-class parents of NT's off, which they need for their league tables.

schools good for asd children....

It does seem like the best schools are a well kept secret. I've asked the ed psych etc but everyone just says she's best where she is. Well she isn't best in a school where they don't believe her diagnosis and go to great lengths to ensure she has the minimum support. I thought mumsnetters might be able to point me to some good ones.

How old is she?

13 so she's in year 9

AI1son Look at your in box. I have sent you a PM