Where to live, primary schools and good LA provision for SN - how do you find this out?

[LittleMy77]

I know this is a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question!

We're currently not in the UK, but I am strongly thinking about a move back by the time DS (now 3) starts primary school at around 5 years old.

One of the things I'm mulling over, is where to move back to. I used to live in London, and still have a house there, but its not really suitable for us as a family now so am trying to decide where we should look, I suspect it'll likely be a commuter area to the north of London for jobs and ease of getting to extended family.

One of the biggest criteria for settling on an area will be school, and how well DS is likely to adapt (probably based on school size) and their ability (or lack of) to cater for kids with SPD and maybe HFA

I know its death by 1000 cuts atm in the UK for special needs service provision so am expecting feck all tbh. However, is there anything I can use a reference to see how the local authorities compare on funding, provision etc and what the schools do / don't do?

I'm a complete novice at the whole school thing as I didn't have kids when I last lived in the UK so any help / prompts gratefully accepted!

Not Hertfordshire, according to everything I've ever read on Mumsnet! And that sounds close to where you're looking at.

This is just anecdote based on one chat at one sn group, but apparently provision in Barnet LA is good. That doesn't mean each primary there will be good. Each school is really a law unto itself when it comes to understanding, provision, humanity!

I'm struggling to think if there's the data you're after. The headline spending numbers should be really, but I can't recall seeing them.

There is very rarely anything useful available about mainstream schools individually.

Ha, that's interesting on Hertfordshire, as yes, that's where everyone suggests we should look if we move back!

I think I'll also have a trawl through the boards - altho I'm well aware that good now might not be good in two + years and vice versa, and its also a lot to do with the management of the school etc

We're in Hackney and although I know there are serious funding cuts coming through we've so far found the provision very good (via the Hackney ARK). Though we're still pre-school, so this has mainly been diagnostic and a bit of physio and SLT.

DD is going to be at a private school for the first few years, but we have friends with children with ASC in Hackney schools who are basically happy (ups and downs, but happy). It does depend on either having an EHCP or being in the right catchment though. E.g. we know of people at Queensbridge who are happy (and apparently it is going to get an ASD unit). The Local EYFS SENCO recommended Colvestone (which we visited and currently has 2 ASC kids in a single form entry school - so not loads but it's a nice small school, not overwhelming) or Gayhurst (which we didn't visit as we don't have an EHCP and it has a tiny cathcment, but is a very popular/good school). We liked the SENCO at Halley House very much (which is new and not oversubscribed). Shoreditch Park has an ASD unit and is Ofsted Outstanding, though we felt it was too big/busy for DD. Across the border in Islington we liked the look of COLPAI though it is very new. Their EYFS lead has SN experience though and is very impressive, and by the time you get here they will be in their new building with lots of space.

If you want to apply through the normal process for reception though I think it will have to be soon: if your DS is starting Reception when he's 4, I would think you would need to apply in the next round (i.e. deadline in early January). I'm not sure what the process is if you're not in the country yet - you may already need to have a place. But if you have/can get an EHCP that may not be a problem. Definitely worth researching. If you have boroughs/counties you are particularly interested in I would try giving their EYFS SEN lead a call to see how it all works.

Thanks Light. DS is an early September birthday so I think this would mean he misses the cut off for starting next September as he'll be just turned 4 then, after technically the '19 school year starts. Either way I'm resigned to the fact that we wouldn't be back in the country til early 2020 (due to lining up jobs, visas etc) so we'll have to make the best of it!

You've just made me think tho - I suspect that a diagnosis from over here will mean not a lot once we land in the UK. We have the equivalent of an EHCP for him, but I'm assuming it won't transfer and we'd have to get his assessments all done again...

Ah yes - sounds like you get an extra year then!

It's worth looking into what you'd need. My understanding is you don't technically even need a Dx for an EHCP here - but you would need evidence of need (maybe from e.g. a childcare setting where you are but I don't see why your equivalent documents shouldn't "count"?) Somebody like NAS might be able to help - I think they have a helpline, or may be able to put you in touch with others who've been through a similar process?

You can check the 'local offer' of the area you're thinking about moving to. Which should give you an idea of what services are available and every school should should have a SEN page on their website. We have an autism team for early years and primary school children. I imagine most areas have something similar who you might be able to contact to find out more about the schools in that area.

Haringey is a bit swings and roundabouts. They are notoriously difficult about giving EHCPs (I think that is often the case in most areas) and you cannot get an OT on the NHS if you have a diagnosis of autism. Having said that we have the most amazing disabilities charity.

From hard learnt experience, try to make sure you are living in the right area for the school you want your child to go to. My ds was going to nursery in one borough and we lived in the other and it was really difficult to get any cross borough funding.

I have heard through the grapevine that Camden is a good borough and the only in London to offer sensory OT on the NHS.

Islington does provide sensory integration OT, but not loads of it. Still fantastic though.

I've found Islington pretty good. Got an EHCP and special school place without any trouble.

Think we are moving to Haringey

(posted too soon) and think it will definitely be worse. But hoping to just take our ehcp and school place with us... Relying on Haringey not wanting to spend the money or time fighting us. Gulp.

Agree very much that you should try to live in the same Borough as your child's school. Cross Borough funding can be impossible and really fucks up provision of crucial services.

Thanks both.

I didn't realize that you could live in one borough and send to school in the other; is this across the board, or just in relation to SN? Sounds stupid I know - I had in my head that we wouldn't get a place anywhere / get services unless we lived in the catchment area for it

You can apply for a school anywhere. Catchments are done on distance so if you are close enough (or the school is undersubscribed) you can be in any borough. Sounds like it may not be a good idea though from a funding/services perspective!

Yes, for everyone going to mainstream school in London, admission is by distance rather than borough. (although the admissions criteria do differ by school, and there are other factors than distance which come into play, if I'm going to be a pedant about it!)

For special schools, however, it's borough, not distance, as your home LA will not want to pay fees to another LA, in general.

I also get the impression that Camden are decent.

Ah, got it! Oh, that's interesting and puts a slightly different perspective on things and places I was looking at.

I need to get really familiar with how it works as DH has his head in the clouds about a move "it'll all be fine"

I'm hoping with 1-2 years of early education services provision here for OT and speech before we'd land in the UK, that it'd address a lot of the current issues we're seeing by giving DS some key skills for appropriate language usage, core body strength etc which might make our need for services easier to find

Viewoffriday to be honest (and with hindsight, it was stressful at the time!) Haringey were actually ok for us. Having said that we had a lot of private reports and a very supportive nursery. The impression I get from the LA re EHCPs is the less money and effort they have to put in themselves the easier it is to get it sorted! So I reckon if you already have one, it should be ok for you, I hope!
If/when you do move to Haringey get on to the Markfiled project as they are brilliant and can give you lots of advice.

Sorry for de-railing the thread a bit OP!

Thanks liv. I am somewhat shitting it about moving borough, but have 2 other kids to consider, and we've run out of space here. And as you say, most people I speak to tell me that Haringey will likely pick the path of least resistance.

Thanks very much for the reassurance though. It's a very odd situation that you think you've settled the education for your child but moving across borough boundaries could imperil it all.