Long, sorry. Usual dilemma about special school or 1-to-1 in mainstream. I'm stressing so much about this that I'm coming her to sound off...

[BriocheDoree]

DD, 5, PDD-NOS, severe language difficulties. Generally mute at school. Normal to high intelligence. Can't read yet but this is France where kids don't learn until 6. In her final year of nursery school. Next year is really important - the start of primary school and compulsory education.

Nursery school went really well last year - lovely teacher who made every effort to understand her. This year not going so well. Has a very passionate AVS who really cares, but he's only there 9 hours per week, and only afternoons by which time she's really stressed out and tired. Class is mixed 5/6 year olds and 3/4 year olds. Tends to hang around the small kids more as she finds their work easier to understand, but have been several incidents of her being agressive towards them, pushing, biting. The older ones can handle it/her but the younger ones can't. The 5/6 year old work is all pre-literacy and she's struggling because of the language. OTOH, she excels in maths and drawing.

Choices for next year. We could have a 1-to-1 provided by LEA. Not even going down that route. Provision will be entirely unsatisfactory - not enough hours, person not trained. At her last team meeting, SENCO equiv. (whose v. good) discussed option of local association that not only runs three integration classes but also provides trained 1-to-1 who work with the child in school but also at home, forming link between the two. Those are our two options.

Option 1 - Trained 1-to-1.
DD would remain in mainstream classroom with 25-30 kids in the class. French school is very formal, structured, not much flexibility. However, she would have individual 1-to-1 who would work with her almost full-time (there is some cost to us here and we can't afford full-time) and would also have strategies for helping her cope at break time.

Option 2 - integrated class. DD would be with 5 other kids in a special class, spending some time in this small group, other times integrated into a normal class. Very flexible as to how time is structured according to ability of the child to cope. Possible that academic level isn't quite as good. 1-to-5 attention rather than 1-to-1 attention, but no cost to us.

Wish I knew what was best. My instinct is to keep her in the local school but I don't know if this is in her best interests, if even with 1-to-1 she will struggle in such a large class with proper, formal schooling.

Thanks for reading if you got this far. Know that no-one can really comment as I'm the only French one here, but just feels better to get it off your chest sometimes!

Hmm, tricky one.

What would the range of subjects taught be like, and hhow (aside form maths and drawing) do you think your dd would cope? you say she is already not engaing with the harder pre-literacy stuff - that is only going to step up a gear next year, and take up more of the timetable, presumably.

What would the special school (sounds quite a lot like a suppport unit that we would have here - dd1 was assessed for one a while back) be like at stretching your dd in areas in which she excels? And how sure are you that there is full flexibility in what hours are spent in special class, and what in normal class?

We were initially told that in units, the child stays wihin the unit for as long as possible, and only integrates for the bits that the child can cope with, whether that is one type of lesson, or maybe even only going for the first couple of minutes of assembly, or whatever. Then we found out that actually what they meant was that dd1 would be expected to integrate on some level from day one, and the only way was up, so to speak. that she woudl be expected to be moving towards full integration at a fair old rate (ie back inot mainstrwam at least half the time within 3 years). Not quite the same as staying within the unit and only going inot the MS class when she could cope, for however long she could cope...

So, what I'm trying to say is, how sure are you that what you are being told is what will happen? (voice of bitter experience with dd1 now starting at her 4th establishment (form nursery up to school) - she's only just 5 fgs! Ime, what you are told in all the glitz of explaining how good a service is is not necessarily what that service will turn out to be...)

In your shoes, I'd probably not worry as much abut the academic level in the special school not being as good - if they get the support right for your dd, then you could always do whatever topping up of academics is needed? The most important thing to focus on is finding where your dd is going to feel most relaxed and comfortable.

Any chance of you being able to go around both, spending a fair while there, and just trying to see which one, in your opinion, you rdd "fits" into?

Thank you both for taking the time to reply. Good things to think about

We've gone with option 2, unit provision in mainstream school. DS has physical difficulties, (CP), but we thought was quite bright. He had attention issues though as his attention span was not long. We also felt his self esteem was very low and he needed experienced teachers to draw him out and show him how to learn, at least to begin with.

I am so grateful that we pushed for this as in his first term at the unit (he started REception in September) he has thrived and exceeded all my expectations. He spent the first half term solely in the unit, 4 other children, 1 teacher and 2 - 3 teacher aides. After half term he did one whole afternoon and one morning session (1 hour) per week in mainstream, some did less, only the afternoon session, but all did at least this, with TA support. After Christmas my DS will markedly increase his inclusion time, this is because he has shown himself to be quite bright and we all feel he will benefit from this, it will probably be some part of every day. However if it proves too much, either academically which seems unlikely, or emotionally / socially which is much more likely, then he will have less time in the mainstream.
DS has no language issues but his response is a bit slow so some communication difficulties. Other children in his unit will have much less time in mainstream, they increase it according to every childs needs.

For us and him this has been the best choice, he would have survived in mainstream and we had a lovely one lined up with full time 1:1 but he has flourished in the unit. It is only an infant school so he will move at 7 and at that stage I think he will go into mainstream, but I am open to options if this is not going to work.

You know your daughter best so no one can really advise you, but this has been our experience! Good luck!

hi hairymaclary

I am SO glad your ds is gettign on well at the unit. the reports frodd1's old classmates that have gone have been good, and there are a couple more fro this year's classmates who are applying for entry there next year.

dd1 has finished at ehr school now, and this week started at her new (and hopefully final for a while) place. It is extreme 1-to-1 - to the point of individual classrooms! dd1 is the third pupil in the school, so very small! But she is thriving, and loves it already. (the unit I was talking about in my earlier post wasn't the same one your ds is at - it was beofre the last move, back in KEnt - seems a lifetime ago!)

Hi, don't know how relevant this will be, but we have gone for split schooling for primary - 3 days sn school, where she is on the register so gets the extra funding, then 2 days at our village primary.

We were very clear from the outset that the two schools have different aims - our dd2 has severe learning difficulties and physical disabilities, is tube fed and cannot speak much, but is very sociable, so the sn school is aiming for education, the ms is aiming for social integration.

She has 1:1 help in both situations. so far it has worked well with a few teething problems. I have worked hard to make it work, keeping communication open with both schools. It will not continue to secondary, she will go full time to mainstream but by then will have had a lovely start to her ducation.

This is such an individual choice thing as we all have different factors we might deem as the most essential to seek out in schooling. It is great that you talk to others and yes gain opinions but then trust your gut reaction for your child as both options will have pros and cons and they will depend on your childs individual needs. For me it was important that my son was in a mainstream school with his local peers. This however may not have been my choice if my sons needs were different. Basically what I am saying is that as a good mum you will make your choice based on your daughters needs and you would not chose anything you felt would be wrong for her. Good luck in you decision and I wish you and your daughter all the best.x