Thinking about changing from special school to (sort of) mainstream school - advice anyone?

[twoisplenty]

My nearly 8yo ds with cerebral palsy, has always been in special school since the age of 3yo. But we feel he has "outgrown" special education and needs the company of mainstream children. We feel he also needs more challenging education, even though he has learning problems.

When he is in the company of mainstream children he loves it. He goes to Beavers and he has the biggest smile and loves their company.

Would anyone recommend mainstream ed for sn children? It makes me nervous because of the academic side of things, as well as the social aspects. Also worried about if he will become overwhelmed with the change from sn to mainstream.

But we feel sn school is giving him no challenges, and is stunting his progress because the lessons are so easy peasy.

Loads of advice please!

what sort of school is your DS at is it PMLD? or moderate LD school? could you look at a split placement then you could get a feel of how he is doing in mainstream whilst keeping his place at SN school?
what about secondary provision will you be looking at MS or SN for these years?

Its a special sort of special school. It's conductive education which means special education with lots of physiotherapy. Our ds is moderately disabled, he uses a wheelchair for long distances, and a walking frame for short distances.

Yes, it is a good thought to try a split placement, before leaving sn altogether.

Just wondered how sn children get on in a mainstream environment.

Hi twoisplenty. Think we may have chatted about this before. My ds1 is currently doing a split placement and is actually preferring his ms school at the moment. I think if you feel your ds has outgrown his sn school, you are probably right. I think us parents know when our children are not getting challenged enough in every way and we owe it to them to give them the chance to see what they can achieve for themselves. I would suggest you try a split placement first with a minimum of two days a week at ms. This has worked really well with ds1 (at the moment). Give it a go, give him a chance. As long as he has the right 1:1 support x

what area do you live in(as I can recomend a good inbetween school)

How about a special school with a mainstream satellite unit. My ds1 is in a special school which has a satellite unit on a ms site for more able children, staffed by special school staff, and very much with access to both.

I think ms is difficult for many reasons (ds1 spent 4 terms in ms before moving to SLd/PMLD). The main problem is that you become very reliant on individual members of staff for the whole thing to work and if they're off sick or they leave the whole thing can move apart.

It depends on your ds' needs, it's not impossible, but it is difficult. It's also much harder to access NHS type things eg SALT, OT, physio etc.

Hi magsi! I feel a little embarrased about starting this thread, seeing as you had worries about mainstream, and I was happy to recommend special school!!!

My son's story is a little more unusual...he has very little speech and his preferred method of communication is signing. But the teachers do not actively teach makaton, they vaguely do makaton but don't actually teach it to our ds. No other child in his class signs. And the next class he could be moved to have children with speech, so again, no signing.

A ed psychologist recommended thinking about a school for the deaf...strange but good thinking really. We visisted the school 2 days ago and were so impressed. They have the whole school set up for wheelchairs, and they didn't have worries about disability as such, but were worried about his learning problems.

But it would be a place rich for signing, and he would be understood at last and have mainstream children who he loves being with.

It's such a strange idea to move a hearing child to a school for the deaf and it scares me, but excites me at the same time. If he had 1:1 tutoring then that would be fantastic.

2shoes, I'm in derbyshire.

oh the one we saw was trelores in Hants

School for the deaf sounds a better idea to me than straight mainstream. I don't know, mainstream can work, don't get me wrong, but I think if a child has significant needs, and especially if a child is non verbal it is really hard.

A school for the deaf will be open about disability, won't have any of that them and us stuff that can go on with "purely" ms schools and hinder parent/school communication, and if your son is proficient in the use of sign could be excellent. It would give him the chance to learn BSL rather than Makaton I guess as well.

The deaf school sounds a really good idea actually. It makes sense if your ds' main communication is signing. Why not!. It would also ensure that as he gets older, he would learn and naturally progress to (very quickly I would think) british sign language. It sounds a great idea if you think that signing is going to be his main form of communication. Might think about it for my ds1 . Its the best of both worlds really, ms kids who sign, brilliant!!

I'm really pleased you agree Magsi, I thought I was going slightly mad! How I would ever explain to my mum that my ds is going to a school for deaf, I don't know!!

Since we visited the school 2 days ago, I have made real effort to sign to ds all the time and unbelievably he has really progressed with his communication already. I'm sure it's not all in my mind, he just realises that he can use signing and it's ok. Before, I just used to sign new signs, and talk to him the rest of the time knowing he understood me. But of course my ds wouldn't learn much that way really, and would assume signing is not the truly acceptable form of communication. But it is.

sorry, rambling away.

Someone made the analagy that it's like wanting to learn the German language - the best way to learn is to live in Germany and have the language all around you. Same with signing. He would either do really well in that environment, or become really overwhelmed having never been in a school where the lessons are broadly matching the national curriculum. His school teaches things frustratingly slowly, and I think he's getting really bored.

It really sounds like the right thing for your ds. And afterall, he will be a great lip-reader also, which could come in really handy

lol magsi!

Hi Fiofio. I've not come across outreach. Could you give me more info?

Since my thoughts about schools, I've gone so nervous...

Some children at ds1's school do a few lessons in mainstream, some in the satellite unit, and some in special. His shcool is looking to expand that sort of provision as well apparently- it's supposedly the future of special schools. The local PD school is being rebuilt on a mainstream site to allow for this sort of flexibility.

Ahh, now I understand! Yes, ds's school integrates the children gently into mainstream by starting off with one day (or less) per week and gradually building up. For me, that would put my mind at rest. Unfortunately dh doesn't agree, and thinks that doing part-time in any school will not help with ds making friends. Fortunately that kind of decision is mostly done by lea and the 2 schools involved, so I think that is what may well happen.

My biggest fear is that the new school may think his learning problems are too great for him to cope, and so not accept him into the school. But I really believe his learning problems are not severe, they are there but hampered by not having any means to get his message across. I hope everyone will be able to see that.

Hi twoisplenty.

Have your ds's teachers at sn suggested that he may have 'outgrown' sn, or is this your opinion only? Im only asking because it was our ds1's teachers and the other professionals at the last Review Meeting that suggested he try ms schooling, it didn't occur to us first that he might of. Has the deaf school you visited had any other non-deaf puples before? Must go, am making fairy cakes with my dd and if im not careful, there will be no mixture left

My dd does 3 days in SN school and 2 days in mainstream with a 1-1

she is coping really well with it at the moment

She has some friends in SN School and the Chidren in her Mainstream class love her (although I admit it helps having her twin sister in the class also!!!)

we are thinking of increasing mainstream to 3 days but now sure

It is so hard isnt it

hi twoisplenty, haven't read the other replies yet, I have a dd with DS who has been in mainstream f/t since reception (now in Y1). She was at a SN nursery before.
I am really, really happy with her being in m/s. It just feels like the right place for her, SN never did really.
She is obviously years behind her classmates and a tiny tot still, but she just fits in and is part of the school. She is well-liked and is making good progress in all areas. And she really, really loves school and is very happy there.
We did consider a shared placement and the SN school were very, very eager to push us in that direction, but I decided against it. I wanted her to be a proper part of the class, not a 'part-timer' IYKWIM. I felt that socially it wouldn't be good to only have her there one or two days a week. Also, I thought that she would do well in m/s (in her own way of course), so why waste time that could be spent in m/s in the MLD school? I'd chatted this through with several DS education people, and they were of the same opinion, so we happily went for f/t mainstream. The school is supported by specialist teachers from the MLD school who do a kind of outreach service, and of course she gets SALT, OT etc. there so she's not missing out on the specialist stuff.
I guess the main thing that makes it work in our case is our particular school, I can't praise them highly enough. They've not had a child with a statement there before, but they were so positive, welcoming and willing to learn right from the start. It's that kind of attitude you need from a school.

Magsi, I have a feeling that when I have a meeting next Thursday with the headmistress, she will be shocked that we are thinking he has outgrown the school. The teacher in his class thinks he is doing well because he is apparently happy, but we think he has given up trying because he isn't being mentally challenged. He just enjoys being in the atmosphere of doing nursery-style stuff.

There is another class that do more interesting work, and that would challenge him more, so I am going to insist (nicely) that he goes in that class immediately. But he still won't be understood because no-one in the class uses signing, and the teachers don't use it consistently.

Anniebear, I am excited about the idea of doing part-time in 2 schools, I think that's the way forward. Really pleased your dd is enjoying and doing well. Does she do exactly the same work as the other children in the ms class, or does she have it tailered to her ability?

"She is obviously years behind her classmates and a tiny tot still, but she just fits in and is part of the school". GG,that's the bit of schooling that worries me, how does a child fit in when they are behind with all the work? Does your dd have different work to do in the class? Does she ever feel overwhelmed with it all? And does she have speech? Sorry for the questions gg, I'm really nervous about the thought of ms work and ds's ability in general. If your dd fits in and feels part of the class, then that's what would reassure me.