visited a school today (Autism unit and outreach team on site)
Head is super- showed me round whole school...showed me homework books (she was horrified at how current school expect him to remember etc)
Also 'off the erecord' mentioned that the outreach teacher (when visiting our school to observe leigh) had been 'shown' Alex by Head...and she agrees with ME!!!! She feels he is showing ASD signs! (so i am NOT CRAZEEEEEEE!!!)
Final she said if we were willing to travel the 6 miles to schhol every day...she'd gladly accept both boys...both into the mainstream classes...not the unit...but all the classes use the same visual timetables and other ASD materials/strategies etc. So that would be fantastic. Also she keeps all infant AND junior classes below 30 pupils!!!! The yr6 has 19!!!!!! (tom is in a class of 33 at the mo!!!!!) ANd the yr 2's are in a clas of 24...with 1.5 TA support.
Felt like a village school.
BUT.......... here goes why it's probably no good....
In september the school is merging with another and this site will be the infants (ALEX) and the other JUNIORS (leigh)....so class sizes may chane..though she hopes to keep them below 30..and she ponted out that though at primary a child can go to any school provided there is a space and the parent gets them there...that in 3 years when leigh would move on to secondary...that he would have to attend a school within the catchment area where we live ..... She also expects there to be transition issues for many children as they adapt...so worries that it may be unsettling for my boys.
So.....longterm not a great move she said as he would then have to start at secondary without his peer group.
BUT...then i though...we want to move in the next 2 years...so why not move to THAT catchment area!!!! (people do do that!!!! Don't they!!!!?)
Then i though.... but what about Tom...he's starting secondary this sept...so has 5 years ahead of him.....and if we moved to another town we'd either need to move schools for him...or we'd have to get him to school by 8.50....AND the younger 2 by 9 in two different towns!!!!
Yeah!RIGHT!!!!!!
Lovely how this school seems...i know deep down it's not practical.
So she left it that i can call her right up to end of july if i want to move them there.
But...she also used the visit to show me what kinds of things i should ask about /look for at a school....OFSTED commended her at her last 2 schools- she has been a senco too....and she has pulled this school out of special measures ....so feel gutted that this school is simply not a practical solution.
Then when i mull it over i think...maybe i should just 'go with the flow'.... see how we get on for the firts 2 years and worry about secondary etc later on.....who knows the government may change the rules...TOM or Leigh may get statemented...and end up being transported by the LEA.... what i cannot decide is whether i risk possible problems later- balanced against a happier few years now..... or do i visit all the 'feeder schools' for the secondary where we live......and hope that by chance they have a child with ASD who needs the kind of stuff that this school offers....as in the town where i live there is no specialist ASD classes.
Then to really be brutal.......say for example we were a army family etc.... we'd have to uproot at the drop of a hat...and we'd manage.....so the plot thickens!!!