Ind and State school recommendations for 9 yo HFA - all over England

[skygazer]

Hello! We are relocating summer 2015. My husband will telecommute so flexible with location thankfully. Looking for school environment with small class size, rigid structure, supportive staff for 9 yo with autism who will be almost 11 when we arrive. Supportive school systems can be found where?? Schools to avoid?? We will consider private schools.

He is academically gifted, tested able 4 grade levels above for language and 6 grade levels for math, rule follower (teachers love him), but anxious about performance/making mistakes, being the center of attention and social interaction. He has good social interest however rigidity makes it difficult for sustained interaction with peers who don't agree with his way, although is well liked by classmates overall (he's kind and helpful). He seems to have good organization skills and other measures of executive function. Fully mainstreamed with weekly social skills groups. IEP goals are pragmatics, okay to make a mistake and taking 'no' for an answer without verbal protest (he's such a conniver!).

Any advice is appreciated. I'm afraid to make the wrong choice!!
THANK YOU!!
Kind regards, Judie

Relocating from where? And roughly where are you looking?

You'll probably be looking at an independent/private school.

Relocating from North Carolina, USA.

Prefer to be in/around London, not more than an hour train ride away.

Riverston in London looks interesting. Small school size is important consideration, so ind/priv school likely.

Are you looking for an autism specialist school or a supportive mainstream school? Local authority schools will be class sizes of 30ish usually. Independent mainstream schools will be smaller but probably 20-24 per class. Specialist schools will in many cases be much smaller but their down side is that academically they may be less suitable.

Presuming your DS will be looking for a Y7 place in sep 2015 (ie. he turns 11 by 31/08/15) how about this independent school www.sackvilleschool.co.uk/? I am considering it for my academically able HFA son - small class sizes are important for him and they are 'guaranteed, no larger than 12 (or is it 13?) in Y7. Their results are good for a non selective school. Hildenborough is a fast commute to London of less than an hour. (There is a station in Hildenborough but you could live in one of the towns around like Sevenoaks or Tonbridge and DS would have the option of minibus to school).

I have heard mixed opinions on Riverston but no personal knowledge.

Abbingdon? Millbank? More House?

Tbh, England is shit generally for ASD.

I'm thankful for the numerous responses.

@pannetone, thanks for the Sackville school lead. I liked what I perused so far.
@StarlightMcKenzie - thanks! Millbrook is 3-11y and he will be 11 in Sept 2015. Abington seems good, More House got a great Ofsted Rpt so will research these more. I'm relocating from a decent area for ASD and hope not to muck it up too badly with a move.

@beautifulgirls, thank you! Specialist schools may not adequately address the academics but could be beneficial w/ reduction in anxiety.

We're exploring all options but keeping him mainstreamed (private or public) with accommodations/social skills group will likely be best. His social interest and keen observation skills are best utilized around peers with social skills he should be emulating. School districts in rural areas with small student population and is something we'll consider. We'll pick the school then find housing to rent nearby.

Thanks for the help! I'm just starting to research schools.

There's an independent school in Wandsworth that does the American High School Cert that might suit you if you think you may want to return to the US at some point?

centreacademy.net/london.html

Otherwise I have to be honest, I think I'd avoid England if where you are currently is good. there's a danger you'll find the state sector a throwback to the dark ages where ASD's are concerned.

Riverston is very nurturing, but not so good for scientific types further up the school (14+), so it depends where your child's interests lie long term. If you attend this one make sure you live in Lewisham and the healthcare in Greenwich where the school is located is very poor.

I would certainly agree with this comment from bochead:-

"Otherwise I have to be honest, I think I'd avoid England if where you are currently is good. there's a danger you'll find the state sector a throwback to the dark ages where ASD's are concerned".

I would avoid the counties of both Essex and Hertfordshire.

Do you have to relocate at all?. If you do not have to I'd be staying in the US. Some private ie non state schools are not at all accommodating when it comes to children with any sort of special educational need so you would need to choose a school extremely carefully.

What is budget re property price/renting?. Its going to be very expensive in many areas within an hour's commute of London itself.

Don't know whether it would be appropriate but have you considered academically selective - either private or grammar? The ASD profile is strong in some of these settings. Eg Colchester grammar. Or grammar schools in Kent. Crap for SN but depends what you are looking for.

Yes. Avoid Essex, Herts. They have nothing and fight dirty to justify that.

Surrey fights dirty too but does have provision though the quality isn't that great.

Many parents who are able to, move out of the UK due to woefully inadequate provision and worse, the culture of individual blame towards the child or family.

Thanks for the info everyone, it is greatly appreciated!!
@bochead - super info about CA and Riverston and heads up about imp of Lewisham locale & local healthcare. We're not sure whether we'll stay during upper level (high school) years...gotta see how he adjusts to school and community. He's been in England twice so there's a plus, everything's not new new.

@Attila - we are choosing to relocate and thankfully London-born husband will bring a job with him. where we live now is an area we would readily move back to. rental rate maximum is around 2,200 pounds/month. it is always good to know which schools to avoid!! I do not want to set my son up for a damaging experience and restart at a new school. He does not transition easily.

@Keeping on.. - did not know of an academic selective option. I will look into this. We need to address both his strengths & challenges. He's an anxious kiddo, so environment (small class size in particular) is critical. He's prone to migraines so it's truly imperative we reduce his stressors as much as possible!
@Starlight - where to avoid is critical info. "culture of individual blame.." sounds sucky. That's an important consideration with invisible disabilities.