DS school just change to Academy..what to expect?

[LilTreacle]

That's it really. New school for y2 as DS just was not getting the right support in previous school... new school is much bigger and very experienced with all sorts of SEN and have been brilliantly supportive and inclusive so far...will that all change now they are an Academy?

We did not know that was planned when we applied, or what it might mean for the future...just wondered if anyone had any experience -good or bad?

hopefully it's nothing like our experience which includes...

DD is now regularly kept in for 'reflection time' if she doesn't produce 'enough' written work

she has 3 pieces of homework to complete each week, as well as home reading. she cannot cope with homework at home, so goes to homework club, in school. she is being pulled up for not producing 'enough' written work here too...

she changes classroom/location up to 10 times a day (incl playtime and lunch etc)

she tells us she feels like she is invisible at school now

we are at our wits end as this is her 2nd school already

she is Y2, with ASD/SPD but since her academic levels are high, they are not supporting her with any 1:1 or special strategies. yet

i don't believe she needs much in the way of 1:1 support, but they are consistently minimising her issues, so we have no choice to but to apply for statementing, understanding that the 'academy' are not interested at all in our DD, and we will be looking for another new school.

Oh dear.....well yes hopefully nothing like you have experienced!!!

DS has a statement (well, its about to be issued) and is being supported well at the moment, just hope it stays that way!

I think it depends what sort of academy. Has it become one of the big academy chains, is it being managed by another local academy, or what? Are there any major staffing changes?

staff don't have to be qualified (except the SENCO) so you may find that highly paid/experienced staff disappear....

Most definitely, Polter

We are collecting as much evidence as we can and almost preparing for battle.

Ours is part of a larger chain of Academies, and OP, they also laid off half the TAs before the summer break.

My DCs senior school is an Academy and nothing much has changed. They make money out of training teachers etc. But they've kept all their TAs, and are now self-funding the youth worker (as the charity which used to fund them is short of cash).
Its not part of a big chain, and works with other schools in the area.

As far as I know its a local Academy joined with the schools in the local area and the feeder secondary school.

If its statemented to have 1:1 then they have to provide that dont they ? Its only just happened so I am not clearwhat the plans for staffing might be. I would hope they dont lose staff and that would make is a completely different school....