New Schools next term?

[Alyth_mum]

I'm very new but I've been trying to read as much as possible to know more about here.

 

There seem to be a lot of children srtarting a new school after the Summer Holidays.

 

Can we make a list so we know who is changing schools and what the views of the both the child and adults are about the move?

 

 

My YS who is 8 will be moving to an Autistic Base Unit within a mainstream school, it is about 18 miles from home and he will be travelling by taxi every day (paid for by the LEA)

 

He is mainly looking forward to it although he says he will keep his 'best friend' P from his old school.

I am relieved that the LEA have, hopefully, sorted out his placement and now he will be in full time education.

 

Louise

[mrs fussy]

I'm very new but I've been trying to read as much as possible to know more about here.

 

There seem to be a lot of children srtarting a new school after the Summer Holidays.

 

Can we make a list so we know who is changing schools and what the views of the both the child and adults are about the move?

My YS who is 8 will be moving to an Autistic Base Unit within a mainstream school, it is about 18 miles from home and he will be travelling by taxi every day (paid for by the LEA)

 

He is mainly looking forward to it although he says he will keep his 'best friend' P from his old school.

I am relieved that the LEA have, hopefully, sorted out his placement and now he will be in full time education.

 

Louise

Hi i would just like to say hi, hope you find the forum helpful. My son may be moving after the hols we are still undecided at the moment we don't really want to move him as he has friends there and of course its a local school and well you kinda become part of the furniture don't you but our relationship with school is not good and i am not sure this can now be solved so we have 5 weeks to make a decision, and really wish we were not in this position. Its just that educationalists i find talk in riddles and i just don't get it i find it hard to know what there intentions are so are really apprehensive. Why dont they just say straight out what htey mean and save us all the hastle of trying to guess. I think you shouldnt move a child personally unless you really have to but if htere is something that is making them unhappy and the school are not willing to help with this then sometimes i think its something you may have to consider, getting the best education i think is vital and a child should be given the opportunity to achieve there best but they also need other things from school too so that they are also happy. I hope your son will be happy in his new school, lets face it they spend a long time there dont they they need to be happy. Mrs F x

Edited July 29, 2007 by mrs fussy

[madme]

Neither of mine are moving this year although considering if we should for DD 6 Dx Aspergers. We moved our son at age 8 year 4 to a school and won at Tribunal subsequently for this to be paid for. It was the best decision we made. We wish that we had moved him earlier as he was really suffering in an inappropriate mainstream. We had been worried about the change but found that he was much happier and has now settled into his secondary placement. Change can be difficult but staying in the same place to avoid this can be fruitless. Good luck.

[Alyth_mum]

My YS at one level has not been given a choice on whether he moved or not - he was fine in P1 and not too bad in P2 but within a week of starting P3 he was excluded for a week and it just went from bad to worse.

 

In the whole school year (August 2006 - June 2007) he only was allowed in school for 6 full days the rest of the time he was either on reduced hours or excluded.

The new school has agrred that he should be a full time pupil in the Autistic Unit - it is hoped once he gets settled that he will be slowly re-introduced to the 'normal' classroom with support as and when everyone thinks he is ready.

 

Louise

[forbsay]

My little boy is not changing schools - however, he is changing classes. He goes to an autistic school just down the road from our house. He will be going into his third year at that school and the difference in him is amazing.

 

Forbsay

[mrs fussy]

My YS at one level has not been given a choice on whether he moved or not - he was fine in P1 and not too bad in P2 but within a week of starting P3 he was excluded for a week and it just went from bad to worse.

 

Why has your son not been given choice? is this because of behaviour?

 

 

In the whole school year (August 2006 - June 2007) he only was allowed in school for 6 full days the rest of the time he was either on reduced hours or excluded.

The new school has agrred that he should be a full time pupil in the Autistic Unit - it is hoped once he gets settled that he will be slowly re-introduced to the 'normal' classroom with support as and when everyone thinks he is ready.

 

Six full days of education in a whole school year that is terrible, has he fallen behind with his work, my son has no diagnosis. I am suprised at the amount of autistic units that people keep saying there children are going to, i dont think there are any in my area.

Louise

[mrs fussy]

This really is a difficult one isn't it, we are meant to be enjoying the hols and instead i am lying awake half the night wondering what to do, really need to speak to the old school before i can make a decision as i think they have tottaly misread what i have been trying to say, but its too late now arrrrrrrrrrrrrrh

Edited July 30, 2007 by mrs fussy

[mrs fussy]

There seem to be a lot of children srtarting a new school after the Summer Holidays.

 

Can we make a list so we know who is changing schools and what the views of the both the child and adults are about the move?

 

Hi it seems there are not as many moving schools as first thought judging by the response. If anyone is moving schools i would be interested in your reasons for this too and the childs of course so just bumping this up really as i thought there would be more response.

[oxgirl]

I really wish we were moving school in September, as I've grown to hate the place where my lad is now. Unfortunately, there is nowhere suitable to move to.

 

~ Mel ~

[Bagpuss]

No changes of school here, just changes in teacher and class. Our youngest dd has no changes at all. Is staying in same assessment class with same teacher, but they did change classrooms just before Summer break (never told us ). There was abit of bad feeling between myself and this teacher before the end of term, so it will be interesting to see how this pans out come September. She is also staying on the same transport, with same driver and chaperone, who she adores. So hopefully all should go well come September...although big changes are due next September, as the assessment class only runs until the end of Year 2, which will mean dd will have to leave

 

Eldest dd is moving to a new class and teacher. She seems to take it all in her stride. She is moving with her entire class, and it happens each year. Last year a few of the kiddies were in tears because the teacher they were assigned to had a reputation for being abit of a "shouter" and being very strict. I was worried how dd may cope with this, especially when on the first day of term I was surrounded by sobbing children, being comforted by their worried mums. She got fantastically well with her. She really encouraged her with after school clubs, and they had a lovely bond. DD just didn't seem to pick up on the fact other kiddies found her scary. A few of the mum's really struggled to get on with this teacher, and felt she was overly critical of their children, but I always liked her, as did dd. This year she will be having a male teacher for the first time (she's going into Year 5), unsure if that will throw her or not.....she seems pretty chilled really. Time will tell, eh?

 

DS is moving into Year 9, new form teacher too, as his has retired. He seems to have lost total interest in school since going to secondary school. He says kids are really disruptive, shouting, swearing, etc. He is in top sets, but just doesn't seem to have the same enthusiasm as he did at primary. Maybe it's a teenage thing..........he is only really interested in footie and runescape now Only seems a short while since I took him on his first day of primary

[carrieq]

Ds is moving to Communication Base attatched to primary school a few miles from where we live. He will get transort to take him to and from. He has been through a transition period and says he hates it, but he hates school in general so not taking it to be the new place he hates. He is adament he won't be going but it is the best place for him as he has a language disorder, dyslexia and very poor clarity of speech to contend with as well as the communication issues thrown up with his AS.

 

He is on a trial placement as his Ed Psych thinks his "problems" are behaviour rather than communication based, which is a load of absolute rubbish. They will re-assess the placement in November to see if he should continue, go back to mainstream or a behavioural unit(over my dead body!)

 

Carrie

[JenRose]

Mike is starting a new school, well not a new school a flippin school in september as he,s been out of any school for 2 years now!!!!!!!

[KarenT]

J's moving to a new school in September.

 

He's 8, moving in to Y4 at the new school. At the old school there was extremely little AS awareness and apart from the wonderful, interested and supportive teachers he had in Y1, very little was done to meet his needs after that.

 

He's moving to a much smaller school with an ASD unit attached, though J will remain in mainstream. However, because of the unit there's a high level of awareness across the school, including staff running out of school clubs and lunch supervisors. He's had three visits and loved it. The school has a conservation area with a bit of woodland where the children are encouraged to build dens and J thinks it's fab, especially as he gets to roll in mud at breaktimes. What more could you want when you're 8?! And he goes all gooey eyed when his new teacher is mentioned.

 

The new school is a twenty minute drive away from where we live, which is why I'm learning to drive. I was told he wouldn't get LEA transport because he's moving out of catchment by parental choice so they wouldn't provide it - I'm sure I could fight that decision but it would take ages and he still has to get there in the meantime. Far quicker for me to pass my test than wait for LEA!

 

J was a bit iffy about the move when I first suggested it, but that's not because he was upset at leaving his old school but because he's reluctant to accept change. I talked him into going for the first visit and once he saw the place and met the god-like teacher he was hooked. He even chose blue frames for his new glasses to match his new uniform. He's already made inroads to a couple of friendships and I know two boys' parents from our local support group, so he's met and got to know them a little too. It's all very positive as far as J's concerned.

 

As for me, I can't be happier that he's leaving the old place behind. I can accept teaching staff having limited knowledge on a specific special need if they're prepared to develop it, but I don't see why I should have to put up with my child being abused and myself lied to (both of which have happened on more than one occasion). I shouldn't have to tolerate that just because my son has a special need that the school doesn't understand, or want to. Staff attitudes at the new school are totally different and it seems that nothing is too much trouble to help J settle and grow in all ways. We're all very positive and excited.

 

Karen

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[ellimoo]

I am a primary school teacher and am writing a paper on school transistions and would welcome any views you have on how the induction to the new school was managed. Would you be willing to share your experience with me?