QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT SECONDARY SCHOOL'S PROVISION FOR ASD

[allytjd]

I am waiting in for the depute head of the school i am thinking of moving town to get DSs into (this is a big deal for us as we are all happy where we are ATM) to ring me back. The school doesn't have a separate unit for kids with an ASD but DS2 has Aspergers and would be expected to cope in an ordinary classroom, possibly with some help. I believe they have a homework club that functions as a refuge for kids that can't always handle the playground. It is non-selective but has quite an academic ethos. I could do with some help with informed sounding questions to ask the Dep Head when he calls, can anyone with experience help?

Ask them about the sensory stuff - flickering lights being changed for ones that don't flicker, background noise being reduced to make it possible for us to hear what the teacher is saying, safe space to retreat to at any point in the day not just at break times, 'whole school approach' where they explain to the whole school about disabilities and how people can be supportive?
Ask them what specific training the staff will have, and how they will introduce each new member of staff to your DS even if it's a temporary teacher or helper.

Those are the sorts of things that tend to get forgotten, but they're often the biggest things for us.

if they run any social skills groups, what their anti-bullying policy is, what lunchtime clubs they run, what experience they have of kids with Aspergers.

Ally

I would certainly pay this school a visit both announced and unannounced (i.e just turn up).

How big is this secondary school?.

Are many of his friends going to attend this school?

How much experience does school have in working with children across the autistic spectrum?.

Is the SENCO on the ball, have you met this person?. Will SENCO be willing and able to talk to you and meet with you personally?.

Does your son have a Statement?. That will have a great deal of bearing on his educational needs.

If he does not and is expected to work in a classroom possibly with some support (hmm) then what are they actually proposing for him?.

oh and try to visit around break/lunch break to get a feel for whether there is a decent level of structure/lunch time supervision or whether it's chaos.

Does your boy have funding?

Will he have help of TAs?

if so...these would be some of the questions i would ask..

How do they organise the support across the timetable?.

Does he need help with organisation?..if so what will they do?

Will he be able to have extra visits to the school to familairise himself?

What about breaktimes...where can he go?

Access to clubs?

Ask them what training the whole staff have had with working with children on the autistic spectrum...what is in the pipeline?

Practical stuff...communication between home and school...Will he have a 'planner' that any important messages will be recorded in?

support for school trips.

Can you meet with the senco? is their a transition course available to your boy? (mine went on a 6 week course run by cahms for children with asd about to move up to secondary)

We're in Scotland where all the terminology is different, DS2 is on a stage 3 intervention. He doesn't have a TA ATM but I am going to nag for him to have one for at least a term before we move (we wil be moving into a different council area) to set a precedent for his future school. I am also going to buy him an alphasmart so that he can get used to it well before high school (he is only 8! its big bro who is in primary6). I think schools should do homework emails, my lot often misunderstand what the teacher wants them to do.

had the phonecall, they don't have a special "base" in the school but they do have about 6 pupils with Asperger's in the school and the principal learning support teacher has someone in her family with AS and is very clued up, which sounds good. I am going to look round after easter. Still have some reservations, am not getting a warm feeling about it yet, I think it would suit DS1 but may not be "cosy" enough for DS2. Really want them to all to go to the same school, but it may not be the right thing in the end (not sure if Ds1 would want to "look after" DS2 at school anuway , at the moment he ignores him in the playground.