gorby928 Report post Posted March 10, 2011 Hello again Well if it isnt one thing its another our son AJ will be going to secondary school in Sept 2012.I know we are a little early as regards looking etc but by all accounts you need to start looking a year ahead if you are to cover all the schools that are suitible? AJ doesnt have a statement (we are going through that now)so we are looking at mainstream schools for him (as his AS is mild) that have good SEN support(I know arent we all )We live in Lewisham London but we are thinking about moving to Bromely or Bexley London/Kent if it gives us a better chance for AJ.He is doing well at school at the moment but he is only 8(9 this August)so at the moment he hasnt really had any probs as regards school reports etc,a bit of bullying but he didnt seem to phased by it.I know its nuts that we have to start thinking about all this,AJ seems to think he will be going to the same school as all his friends but we have tried to explain that this wont really happen and he goes ok and goes back to his PC I know its a big ask but if anyone has any ideas ,pointers etc any help would be great.Thanks Gorby928 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caci Report post Posted March 11, 2011 It is a very hard choice isn't it ? Especially with an area like Bromley, you would need to move within half a mile of so of the over-suscribed schools to stand a chance of a place. However, I think the ones with the "best" Ofsted reports may not be the best for ASD support. The problem we found was the size of the schools, and the fact our son needs people to be pro-active in spotting when he needs support (as he can't/won't ask). This, for him didn't work in a mainstream primary with only 240 pupils in the whole school. As many of the secondaries have 240 puils per YEAR group, this would be a HUGE challange. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gorby928 Report post Posted March 11, 2011 It is a very hard choice isn't it ? Especially with an area like Bromley, you would need to move within half a mile of so of the over-suscribed schools to stand a chance of a place. However, I think the ones with the "best" Ofsted reports may not be the best for ASD support. The problem we found was the size of the schools, and the fact our son needs people to be pro-active in spotting when he needs support (as he can't/won't ask). This, for him didn't work in a mainstream primary with only 240 pupils in the whole school. As many of the secondaries have 240 puils per YEAR group, this would be a HUGE challange. Hi Caci Thanks for the reply,yeah I hear what you are saying but to be honest I dont think we are so much worried about leauge tables etc as we think it will be AJs emotional needs that he will need support with more than anything(his favorite channel is still Cbeebies if you know what I mean).Thats why we are hoping that some replys might tell us of schools we wouldnt of looked at ,you know the word of mouth thing can give you a more realistic picture sometimes ? As for the numbers thing we can see what you are saying but I guess all we can do is fight for him and hope he doesnt get lost in the crowd?We would probaly stay in Lewisham if we could find the right school for AJ but we are in a 2 bed flat and AJ shares with his 3 year old brother so at some point he will need his own space.Thanks once again,take care. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted March 11, 2011 Thats why we are hoping that some replys might tell us of schools we wouldnt of looked at ,you know the word of mouth thing can give you a more realistic picture sometimes ? Trouble is, it's almost impossible to get a measured, unbiased view. You ask five different people about a school and you'll get five totally different viewpoints, one will tell you their awful experiences and one will rave about how brilliant the teachers were, it's almost impossible to get a picture of a school from parents because they'll always have their own stories to tell and they'll all be totally different. I always think it's best to rely on your own observations and impressions of a school rather than listening to other parents, who could either put you off a perfectly good school with their horror stories or the opposite. Good luck with finding somewhere you can be happy with. Btw, I grew up in Catford, know it well. ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gorby928 Report post Posted March 11, 2011 Trouble is, it's almost impossible to get a measured, unbiased view. You ask five different people about a school and you'll get five totally different viewpoints, one will tell you their awful experiences and one will rave about how brilliant the teachers were, it's almost impossible to get a picture of a school from parents because they'll always have their own stories to tell and they'll all be totally different. I always think it's best to rely on your own observations and impressions of a school rather than listening to other parents, who could either put you off a perfectly good school with their horror stories or the opposite. Good luck with finding somewhere you can be happy with. Btw, I grew up in Catford, know it well. ~ Mel ~ Thanks Mel,yeah we will start doing the schools in Sept but I am doing my own thing right now ,net,family etc to see what we can find out.My better half is pumping the mums at school for info who have just gone through it all this year to see the lay of the land.So fingers crossed we will come to some sort of happy ending when its all done,take care You can take the boy out of Peckham but you cant take the Peckham out of the boy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caci Report post Posted March 11, 2011 Just rememebered there is a school in a neighbouriong borough with an ASD unit. Not sure I can put the name on here so will PM to you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
