A huge move for my son.

[TigersOfAlexpolis]

We are moving house. My children have never lived anywhere else but here, but now we are going, not only to another city, but to another country.

Last academic year, my 6yo attended the special school here, and it was a really positive experience. He loved it, he loved his teacher and he made an enormous amount of progress.

I have been talking (over the phone so far, but will be there in person next week) to the school authorities where we are going. They tell me that it is very unlikely he will be in a special school there, based on the reports I have sent them from the professionals involved with him here. They think he would be better off in mainstream.

I am quite worried about this. Has anyone else had a child transfer from special school to some sort of integration programme in mainstream?

Agree you need to name the countries, whether you have EHCP etc- then people can advise.

Sorry to disappear all week! As I said, we are in the middle of moving and things have been somewhat hectic!

I am moving from Greece to Cyprus.

I really don't think it matters which countries, though I have no problm naming them. I am sure there must be other people who have moved from special school to mainstream!

Why are shool holidays so LONG??

In Greece my son attended a special school that was organised into (for want of a better word) streams. There was a stream with children who had very serious LDs, and other streams up to the "mild" group. Ages were not important, so my son was in a group where he was the youngest, and one of his classmates was three years older but operated at more or less the same level.

In Cyprus they tell me that only the very serious LDs are in the special school. Other children are in varying grades of integration programmes, ranging from those who get one-to-one support, those who just get a few extra hours of help, and so on.

In Greece my son was in a group of 5 children. In Cyprus there may be 25+ children in the class, and I am not sure exactly what sort of support he will be given.

He is 6yo, nearly 7, and he has extremely limited speech, but much more passive understanding. He is very sociable, but children his own age have often left him alone and not wanted to play with him, and I am worried about him being lonely and friendless in mainstream.