Transition to secondary school

[Lancrelady80]

Hi,

I have a child in Y6 awaiting assessment for ASD (still!) and an EHCP in place. We deferred his start to school by one year. There is / was a diagnosis of Global Development Delay.

We have to make a choice on secondary schools and have tours of the two possible schools (mainstream - he should be fine with support...I hope) and meetings with the SENCOs next week.

Top tips for things to ask / look out for?

Issues are largely around niche interests and monologuing; not understanding social cues and contexts eg is someone being mean or is it gentle teasing; a lot of issues around changes, sensory things to with noise, bustle, lots of people...he's cried at his own birthday parties before as so overwhelmed; dyspraxia; general social interactions and social communication; issues around food (texture) He's very young in himself and gravitates towards younger children rather than his peers, who accept him well enough but certainly don't seem to consider him as a friend - there's very little common ground.

He does well at his small primary where children stay with the same teacher for two years and everything is very familiar and structured. They all know him and provide a lot of support and reassurance as a matter of course. No 1:1 TA, but she tends to check in on him regularly as he can become lost with a task but is fine when she does that every so often. Little things like pre-warning about fire drills, providing pre-printed tables to reduce faffing drawing with a ruler, calling on him in class rather than waiting for a hand up, using name then giving instruction...these all happen as a matter of course for him and make a huge difference.

Words of wisdom and experience would be very gratefully received!

Thanks.

How many DC with EHCPs do they have on roll?
Do they have a quieter room/lunch club DC who are overwhelmed with the canteen/playground can go?
Do they allow those who struggle with the hustle and bustle to move lessons 5 mins early or late?
What transition activities do they offer for those with SEN?
What support do they offer for those who struggle to make friends?
What support do they provide other DC with similar needs? (The provision in DS’s EHCP must be provided, but the answer can help you ascertain how inclusive and proactive they are).
Do they set?
Do they have a SEN homework club?
Do they allow DC to use noise cancelling headphones/eardefenders?
Do they have DC who have reasonable adjustments to the uniform policy?
Do they have DC who can’t cope with the hustle and bustle of arriving/leaving school and different arrangements for arriving at school (such as arriving 5/10 mins late via reception)/leaving (such as leaving 5 mins early)?

Does the EHCP state how much 1.1 support he will receive?
If it is vague and says things like access to small group teaching or access to support, in most schools there will be very little. I work in a secondary and the only children who are guaranteed support are those with it written clearly in their ehcp. E g. Support from 1 1 TA for x number of hours each week.

I work in secondary and there are very few TAs and many students who receive very little or no 1 1 support as there is simply no TA in the classroom unless they happen to be in a class with someone who has support and they sit near to the TA.

Not specifically stated, no. What should be (it's 9 months into the process of being amended...don't get me started on that!) is regular check ins from TA during sessions.

All provision DS reasonably requires must be detailed, specified and quantified in F. Otherwise it doesn’t have to be provided and cannot be enforced. Regular check ins is too vague and woolly to be of any use.

The LA is in breach of the AR process. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can send to the LA. If that doesn’t work you need a pre-action letter. SOSSEN can help with that, but there is a wait, so you may want to look elsewhere.

A review must be held this term too so the LA can finalise by the 15th Feb 2025.

Thank you so much for this.