Mainstream with SEN unit or Specialist school in South London for Y6 high functioning son

[Guacamole69]

My son is 10 and has high functioning autism and specific language impairment. He is currently in a mainstream primary and next year is his last year. He is able in a lot of ways but he can be hyperactive at times and requires regular sensory breaks throughout the day. He has had an EHCP since he started primary. He is roughly 2 - 3 years behind his neuro-typical peers and really struggles with maths. We are now considering a secondary school and have been told by his paediatrician that he is borderline - as to whether he should go to a specialist school or mainstream school with autism unit. We have done a bit of research and narrowed it down to three schools in South London - one special school and two mainstreams with good sen units - the Moat school in Fulham (West), Charter North Dulwich and Dunraven in Streatham. Has anyone had any experience of these three schools in terms of their SEN provision ? It would be great to hear - as it's almost impossible to visit schools since Covid. Thanks

I have no knowledge of any of these schools but with regard to the mainstream schools I'd want to know if all staff are specifically trained to work with students with autism (not just the ones in the unit) and if SLT is available on site.

Also mainstream secondary schools are usually very big so can be very busy and noisy which children with sensory issues often struggle with. This may be something to consider.

Has your son been assessed recently by an EP? They would probably be able to give a better indication of which setting would suit best.

Thanks Ellie56, for your comments. Yes, I am concerned about the size of many of these mainstream secondaries and also the noise and possible confusion that he might encounter in the playground. The difficulty is that I can see how he has flourished from being around his neuro-typical peers - he is invited to birthday parties and the other children seem to like him - which isn't always the case with Sen children who can often feel isolated or misunderstood. I don't want to lose the potential for his social skills to develop, but also I don't want him to feel overwhelmed or out of his depth around all the other children. I also worry that some of the ASD special schools seem quite under-stimulating - nothing on the walls or corridors because they need to accommodate sensory issues. I worry that he won't develop his social skills if he doesn't have other neuro-typical children to mirror. He was recently assessed by an EP (but only through other staff - she saw him for about 5 minutes on a zoom call !). She thinks a small, nuturing provision would probably be best for him. He experiences a lot of anxiety at home, which I think is the result of bottling up any tensions at school - which are then released like a genie in a bottle when he returns home. I would expect that many mainstream staff don't have autism training. Many of the TAs at his primary school didn't seem to know very much.

We viewed the Moat School. I loved it. The therapists seem very very good. All children, if specified in their plan, receive 1:1 week SLT, OT for their duration of their school years. They offer many GCSE's and some qualifications if children are not able to take GCSE's. They also offer 1:1 maths and English tuition for students who have a real difficulty in this area. We loved the school.

The only thing I did not like was the premises- it appears to be an old school and furnishing needs to be updated and their schools holidays are looooong, which may be problematic for parents who work!

Have you seen the other two units?

Thanks buildingbridge, we tried The Moat - but as my son has problems with social communication, they didn't offer him a place. I have heard that they mainly specialise in dyslexia and have only just started extending their admissions to asd. I really liked the sound of the place and it has a very good reputation. Perhaps they felt they couldn't offer him enough support. I haven't visited the units of the two mainstream schools, but they seem to be highly regarded.

Hello OP, I would be interested to know what you think of the SEN units as we know of the schools you are talking about.

You may not wish to seek a purely ASD provision, but a school, like a Moat which take in a range of neurodiverse peers (e.g. ADHD, speech and language, ASD, dyslexia). The schools I can think of are:

ICAN Meath
St Dominics
Moore House School
More House School (specifically speech and language)
Blossom House School
Riverston (Mainstream private school with good Sen support)
The Link

Hi there, which school did you go for in the end? Your situation in 2020 sounds exactly like ours and it would be great to know what you decided to do and if you are happy with the school now. Thank you so much!

My HF goes to a Mainstream High School with 1600 other kids.
He is really intelligent but has socio communication issues and struggles socially.
He is doing really well at school and they have adapted situations for him.
Hes made a group of friends and developed neurotypical friendships and these children accept him and his behaviours even though sometimes he can be erratic and his special awareness sucks.
I want nothing mote than to help and develop my son to help him live a totally independent life and as a family we thought this was the right path for him!!
Good luck with your choices xxx

Thank you Moomieboo, that's really good to know

Very good me reading this as I'm just starting looking at secondary schools. Thanks