secondary schools for child with HFA/aspergers

[thisisyesterday]

hiya,

am hoping some of you will be able to help me out here! Have started looking into secondary schools for DS1 and I really, really don't want him to go to any of our local state secondary schools.

I am in the South-East and have come acrcoss Unsted Park which sounds perfect for him (and no, I am not put off by recent news from there)... I don't suppose any of you have a child there?
or any advice on getting your LA to fund a place like this? I suspect I would get an outright refusal, but i'd be really interested to hear any positive tales!

Alternatively if you happen to live in the Surrey/Sussex area and have a child with autism who is at a fantastic secondary school perhaps you could let me know which school that is so I can look into it? :-D

TIA!

You mention Unsted Park - are you just looking at special schools?

What was recent news?

nope not just at special schools, if anyone knew of any schools that were very good with children on the spectrum that would be great.

recent news: a child at Unsted Park was "allowed" to self harm (given sterile blades and then treated afterwards) which has caused uproar. I have my own view on this, and it doesn't worry me

Well as long as you're happy with that - the talk of razor blades would scare the life out of me.

I know of AS specific provision but manly further west. Someone recommended a school called St Dominic's which looked good but think that was Hants but might have been Surrey

Do you think he will cope with a mainstream school? How is he getting on at primary?

I don't think he will cope at all in a big mainstream secondary.

At the moment he is at a very small Montessori free school. It works well for him because of their teaching methods, small class sizes and very lovely SENCO!
He is academically very able, but he struggles a great deal socially. He has high levels of anxiety, gets stressed very easily, we still have a lot of meltdowns

I just think that going into a very large mainstream secondary school he stands no chance. He does not have the social skills to enable him to fit in and I worry a great deal that he is a prime target for bullies :(

He is only 8 atm though! I am trying to figure all this out in plenty of time so that I know what I am doing when it is time to apply for secondary places.
He doesn't have a statement atm because school already have a lot of things in place for him including social skills groups and quiet places and stuff so we've never needed one.

thank you for the heads up on St Dominics that also looks good! and is much cheaper than Unsted Park

Well it is good to think ahead. You will need a statement for any specialist provision. Is he supported by speech and language, OT or EP?

he has had a speech and language assesment, but nothing ongoing.
no OT or EP although it is something I want to take up with the school at some point

Sorry I don't know any schools in your area but my son is 12yrs now and we are just starting LA statutory assessment due to late diagnosis. It takes a long time so it might be good for you to start that now. I wish I'd been able to get it done before secondary.

Also, you will need to be able to show how other schools can't meet your child's needs which may be difficult without a history of intervention.

I would look carefully. If he cannot cope with mainstream at present (and you have tried) then he probably can't cope at secondary age with all the problems of adolescence. However my DCs very large secondary has several HFA/Aspergers children who do very well.

I had a friend who taught at Unstead park for a couple of years, and he didn't say anything negative about it. There is also St Joseph's in Cranleigh?

Thanks all.
I am guessing that I would need to "prove" he couldn't cope in mainstream school by sending him there, which pretty much sucks (mostly for him).

You could try finding a nice friendly mainstream, which is willing to take him for a trial. With the view that if he can't cope they will back you up in getting better help. I know my DCs ASD friendly primary has done this before. (I think it only took a week.)