Anyone know about the Scottish school system and support for SN?

[SneezySnuffaroo]

Does anyone have any experience of how children with SN are supported in Scottish schools?

Brief background is that we are trying to decide on a school for our DS, who is 4 and a half and has autism. He is currently still in nursery (deferred year) but we are going to have to register for school in a few months. I have been told he's "too good" for anything other than mainstream school, but I can't see how he's going to cope without some good support. We're even starting to think about home education, at least for the first year or two.

I've read our LA guidance on how they support kids with SN, but it's very vague. Lots of "schools have a legal obligation" type stuff but little about what kind of thing we could expect. I understand it needs to be a bit vague to allow them to assess each child's individual needs but I'm getting a bit lost! Any knowledge or experience would be greatly received.

[tacal]

sneezy do you know Whale of a Time (across from Shawlands primary) has an evening every month that is only for dc's who have an asd? It is closed to the public on that evening.

I think it is the last Thursday of every month. There is usually a sign in the window or details on whale of a time's Facebook page. I have made a lot of new friends there and found out a lot of useful information. Some of us have dc's in local schools so it would be good if you could come along.

[SneezySnuffaroo]

prettybird I would absolutely love to come to the Burrell for coffee on Monday but unfortunately DS has a hospital appointment. We've waited ages for it to come through otherwise I'd be there. Do you meet regularly? Is it a MN local thing? I've never really got into the 'local' pages on MN.

tacal I had seen the signs before but we've never been. If I'm being totally honest (and you'll probably tell me off now), I've always felt like I'd be a bit of a fraud going. DS loves soft play, and manages fine with the noise and other kids, so we normally just go during the day or weekend. You wouldn't know he had autism unless you spoke to him, so I would be worried someone would think I was trying to sneak in when we shouldn't be there? Yeah, that makes me sound daft, doesn't it? I hadn't ever really thought about the "meeting other parents" aspect. I will look into it.

Thanks to you both.

[prettybird]

We'll be there till about 3

We try to have them about monthly/6 weekly but in practice it's closer to ever 2 months.

I try and post in Meet-ups as well as MN Local - although if you join any of the "active" MN Glasgow Local meet-up groups, it'll trigger an email when someone posts something.

[tacal]

sneezy a donation is made to the Strathclyde autistic society rather than paying an entry fee to whale of a time. So you are helping support a charity. Some of the parents have dc's who manage well in the regular soft play, myself included. I see it as an evening out for me where I can have a cup of tea and a chat to other parents.