No state school wants a SEN kid

[zumbaleena]

In my search for a suitable state school for my nearly recovered asd girl, I realised NO school....absolutely NO mainstream state school wants a SEN/ASD/statemented kid, however high functioning, low functioning the kid may be....or the kid maybe anywhere on the spectrum. To every state school, the SEN kid is merely a figure...how many hours, how much support.

The attitude in UK clearly sucks. This is sooooo strange! I am more shocked than the day dd got diagnosed. No words! The best state primary in UK and the HT tells me dd should go to a smaller class setting and shoudl have 25 hrs of LSA support. This is when David Urani saw her and recommended to start winding down absolutely any sort of support cos; she is ready to go support free in any damn school.

If she's nearly recovered, how come she has a statement? They're pretty hard to get in most areas unless a child's difficulties are really obvious.

the statement is from long before....keeping the discussion on "recovered" aside....if we can call it quite capable and trying to be v v independent and go support free...that is a good thing...I believe!

I am sorry you are having a tough time, but my DD's state school want her.

They see her for who she is and see her as a member of the school community in exactly the same way as the next child.

They don't always get it right, but they talk to me listen and make changes where they can.

She is not statemented (yet) but they are fully supportive of her being assessed.

My Dd3's state primary have recently told me that they will do absolutely everything in their power to keep her!!

She has Asd, Spd and school anxiety. She and I are making them alot of extra work atm but they still want her.

I am sorry you feel like your Dd isnt wanted

That's so sweet PrinceRogersNelson. I am glad there are actually good schools out there.

My experience is the same as Zumba. The statement is just number of hours not the kind of support needed. It's very very demotivating.

Sorry but that is not my experience.

My DCs primary school has positively welcomed children with SEN, including some whose parents were told they could never cope with main stream (they have also helped argue for appropriate provision for children whose parents thought SS or other was better for them).
My DCs senior school has an amazing SENCO, and has in the past bent over backwards to enable students with certain SN attend. It is also very very proud of the pupils in its specialist unit.

My DD is not statemented (and unlikely to be at present), but was diagnosed with Aspergers. We are applying to senior schools, and the ones we are most strongly considering have all gone out of their way to sell their school to me. (Admittedly one gave me some advice which does mean we prefer the other one slightly, but it was very honest advice to do with school bells.)

Oh BTW is your primary SF? If so I have heard enough to think it may not be really be the best primary school in the UK.

Not SF. it is NF

Generalisation much?

Cleasrly, the school you are talking about isn't the best state school in the UK, if it doesn't want to welcome all pupils.
Just goes to show how warped some measures are.

I wonder if this is the funding confusion at work?

I would set the LA on them, as state schools have no right to reject an autistic kid, particularly hf!

SickOf - these schools aren't saying 'no'. They are beating about the bush.

The problem parents like Zumba and I face is that we don't want to name a school on a statement and find out later that the school isn't welcoming our child

It is all a gamble, and sometimes it is just the "least bad " option we all have to choose

But I think individual teachers wont be nasty to a kid, even if school hierarchy weren't originally welcoming

Ime it isn't so much that schools don't want our kids, but that they don't want tight statementing-enforcing parents.

I went to see 2 other schools today and surprise! surprise! they were v welcoming of dd. So happy to find nice schools too.

Yay