suspected aspergers

[kilmuir]

DS is currently in a small village school, reception, has chance of a place in a much larger school. Any thoughts on type of school that would suit him best?
I know its a bit vague and children all different. would a larger school have more capacity /funds to help him/

If he's happy I wouldn't move him. Has be been referred toand educational psychologist?

How much larger? Does he have friends at current school? A larger school would give him a larger pool of DC to choose / find kindred spirits in. Depends on the ethos of each school, how supportive the other parents may be and this can vary so much even between year groups.

Is he succeeding at the current school? The larger school is likely to have more experience with AS or ASD, statistically, but you really need more to go on than size alone. In a much bigger school he may be overwhelmed by sensory issues, but they may have more resources to work with, economies of scale. In a bigger school he may get lost in the crowd, just be another name or in a smaller school he may stand out too clearly as different.

You need to get in to each school, see the SENCo, the head, watch at home time, talk to other parents, get a proper feel for them both.

we are waiting for appointment with ed psych.
He is doing well at school. His class teacher says he gets on with most children and is popular member of class. He never mentions anyone in particular. I like the fact the older children interact and look out for younger members of the school.
I wonder if he would be lost in a larger establishment

I'd worry that he would find it difficult in a bigger school too. If the ed psych refers him for further assessment and/or recommends extra help for him he should get that regardless of which school he's at.

There might well be other children with aspergers (and therefore other parents with experience of children with aspergers).

Is the other school nearer? Academically better?

both schools are academically the same, the smaller school is in our village.
I am drawn to keeping him where he is

Statistically you would expect a bigger school to have more experience of AS, while you would expect a small school to have less.

That matters not a jot if the small school is keen to learn, determined to help, supportive and inclusive. Equally, it doesn't matter if the big school is stretched, overrun and underfunded. So really, I wouldn't focus on size, I would focus on the support.

That said, DS has been to both a small village school (current) and a big inner-city one. The inner-city school was fantastic, had an amazing ethos and DS didn't stand out as there were so many children with communication problems (I'm including English as second language in that). The small school has been a big, big struggle. However, the fact it is a small school is in itself helpful, too.

And what Ellen says