Specialist secondary schools - when would you start looking?

[appropriatelyemployed]

DS is in Y4. I think he is struggling without considerable support and I want to start thinking about secondary provision.

I approached a local independent specialist secondary school but they didn't want to talk about whether they could meet his needs as 'he's only in Y4' but suggested I got to their open day.

Another school I looked at last year was like this too.

DS has physical needs as well as AS and I get the vibe that independent schools don't seem to like the sensory/physical issues.

It's surely not to early to at least look and have a talk about whether a school would be suitable given that I will no doubt have the mother of all battles to get him into anywhere decent?

I did start to look in advance and tbh saw the school ds is now at when he was just 5. He eventually started there aged 10! I did however find that the independent ss were unwilling to commit until I had actually named them as what I wanted and then they assessed and offered a provisional place. They were also quite quiet during the whole LA battle and didn't help with the case at all although on the phone they did have to answer lots of questions from tribunal judge on day of hearing. It has been a brilliant placement for ds though. i think knowing what's around and having it in the back of your mind is a good thing so that when or if things go pear shaped you know what is out there. I eventually realised it was time to try for it for ds as he was getting nowhere in local authority special school.

No not too early at all - speaking as one who left it too late.(Ds started mainstream secondary, didn't cope at all, started school refusing and it took 18 months and until last term of year 8 to get him a place at special school.) I know they allocate places at maintained special schools a lot earlier than for mainstream equivalents - I think the placement panels meet end of summer term of yr 5 (someone else correct me if I've got that wrong) so you want to have an idea where you want your ds to be placed well before then.

In my LA, for a statemented place in a normal MS secondary, the LA want you to name it by Easter in Y5, so I attended all the open evenings in Sept of DS2's Y5 and TBH managed to rule out 3 schools just on their bog standard open evenings. Needed individual visits to the SENCos to actually choose one.

So, no, not too early!

Thanks - that is really helpful.

I'm quietly researching now and DS is Y3. Just gradually getting an idea of what's out there, taking to parents if I get the opportunity etc. (As you know OFSTEAD is completely unreliable for children like ours).

I had no idea DS has such serious SEN when he started reception & it cost him 3 years of his childhood and a LOT of misery. Once bitten twice shy & all that. I want to be prepared at the next major transition, as he can't afford a repeat performance.

DH & I were discussing the same thing. ds2 is in yr4 at ms primary with statement/f/t 1to1.
I really cant see him coping at the local ms secondaries either academically (he is about yr1 level) or socially & sensory.
But the SN schools only cater for those with severe learning disabilties or severe physical & complex needs & i'm not sure ds2 would get a place at any f them.
He did start school with a split ms/sn nursery placement but i'm not sure that school is suitable anymore.. oh bugger!

Slacklucy, my DS2 with ASD goes to a MS comp that is quite large, 245 per year group. It has a fairly large SEN dept within the school that's a bit like a small MLD SS within a MS school. It doesn't specialise in any particular SN, it has DC with ASD, Down syndrome, Fragile X etc. Some DC have their core lessons within the dept, ie English and Maths and they don't do a MFL but they are set with the MS DC for science, history, geog etc and get the use of the labs, sports hall, tech dept etc. My DS has all his lessons within the MS sets with 1:1 as he is academically average (but socially way behind) but he spends lunchtimes and breaktimes within the SEN dept 'club' that is manned by TAs. (So is 'safe.')

Be sure to visit your local MS schools. I was pleasantly surprised. There were 2 really good schools within the 5 most local ones. Only one was truly awful. (The highest locally in the league tables with 80% 5 GSCEs a* to c but absolutely no time for SEN.)

Y4 definitely as its the Y5 annual review where transition is brought up so you need to be able to say what sort of provision you are looking for your ds to move onto.

Agree that you should definitely visit your local ms secondary as the LA will always send the papers there and you/they will need to show they can't meet your ds's needs if you want to go somewhere else

Ellen Your DS2s school sounds exactly what I want for my DS. :)

thanks Ellen, i will definatly look at the MS schools, i think my main worry is his confidence. He is just becoming aware of his "difference" and is very aware of being bottom of everything, his confidence is rock bottom at the moment not sure if he would prefer to be a more able pupil at ss or the least able at ms????

Slacklucy, yes, I can see your point. My DS is completely egotistical, ASD, not at all AS, and couldn't give a flying what anyone else thinks of him. I'm dreading him getting to that stage as it makes life much harder for them. My DS's difficulty is not moderating his behaviour due to social or peer pressure, so he stands out as very odd and does come in for some bullying when he gets frustrated and upset. But mostly he's well supervised.

I'd generally go for bigger fish in smaller pond, I suppose. But don't rule out the MS schools until you've had a good look at them. Some are easy to rule out, unfortunately. And make sure you are happy that the SS will be able to meet his academic needs as well as life skills and social skills. I think you have to prioritise what you want from school for your DS. Obviously to be happy, but it needs to equip him for the future. It may be that in his case, academic qualifications aren't as important as life skills. (In most cases, TBH!)

thanks Ellenjane, some wise words! I am sometimes guilty of looking at the here & now with ds2 & not the long term outcome.
I also think he will be able to be more indipendant in ss, i think he will more support in MS but again am I taking the easy option for him... oh bugger... its hard isnt it!