Special needs enough for school?

[MrsSnape]

We currently live in the catchment area of all the worst schools in the city.
I have no realistic chance of moving before DS1 starts secondary school but he has his heart set on an over-subscribed school OUT of the catchment area and so realistically he has no chance of getting in...

But then I realised that schools have to give priority to children with "special needs", my son is dyspraxic and has extra help at school (action + or something?) and has been described as having special needs but he has no formal diagnosis or a specific condition or anything...I know it sounds awful but is this "special needs enough" to get him into this specific school or by "special needs" do they mean something else?

Does he have a statement of special educational needs?

Yeah, I think in most places, it is only Statemented children (the stage above School Action +) that have priority.

BUT you can still appeal, and if you can say why the other school would be better for your son, you might just win. I had to do that before J was statemented, to get him into the school I wanted, and the appeal was emotional but winnable.

Hi, yes you will only get priority for your choice of school if your son has a statement. Getting a statement is an uphill struggle - they don't give them out lightly.

You have too fight for a statement. They've refused to give one to my dd who is in a wheelchair, with the result that she has been assigned a secondary school with stairs and no lifts... Needless to say, we are appealing.

So if you intend to fight- start early, be prepared to carry on for a long time. I think we were a bit shocked to find that disability doesn't automatically get you the help you need.

Without a formal diagnosis it will be very hard to get a statement (bloody hard even if you do have a statement ). SA or SA+ isn't 'enough' to get priority for school choice. Off hand I can't think of a single child that has had a full statment for dyspraxia (my son has this too, we have a dx but he doesn't have a statement, he is on SA)

Hello,
Just an idea, how about asking your SENCO to write a description of his needs, and that he's on Action plus? The School would prob say they cannot support a certain school, but if its a general letter, you could put that in with your application. can't do any harm.

Good luck