Transfers to Secondary school

[Rachelp2]

Hello all,

 

well I've known for a while that this was coming but kept putting it off as I can'r bear the thought of it.

 

I have 3 day's left to name a school for Dan's statement!

 

I've been to 4 schools now and think I've made up my mind, or have I!!!

 

As there are not any specialist schools in my area, my son will be going to a mainstream school. I have decided on a smaller school that has an upper and lower sections so not too many kids all at once in one place.

 

I'm just so worried that I don't make the right decision, it's a huge responsibility, and guess it will just be a case of "suck it and see" next year.

 

Most important thing for me is that the schools understand A.S and are caring, compasionate and are willing to share their thoughts, feelings with me on a regular basis. As well as to ask me and Dan for advice on how best they could help.

 

My Dan does not even want to discuss this subject as rightly so he say's...why talk about something that's not going to happen for another year!! I don't want to discuss it mum yet, it's too hard for me to even think about it.

 

Better leave this post here, just wondering if anyone else is going through this naming a secondary school buisness yet?

 

Best Wishes

Rach x

[Suze]

Hi Rach , I,m in the exact same boat, I have till 31st oct to name a school, have 4 in mind and have,nt a clue how to deciede.I don,t even want to think about transfer

[Zemanski]

go and see as many schools as you can, during the day so you see kids around in their 'natural' environment

 

also speak to all the sencos (and the G&T coordinators if your kid is G&T) - we insisted on a meeting with them both together and in one school we discovered this was the first time the two depts had had to consider a child together!

 

 

the biggest indicator for us was how much of the time Com had his thumb in his mouth - the more relaxed he feels the less he sucks

 

Zemanski

[Guest flutter]

Well my daughter is 3 weeks ish into new school

she is not getting any help, ( cos i spoke to sen this week) small skool 26 to class

she is concerened about many things, but her being different is not one of them! so as far as we concerned we are winning,

this was the only school in the area we would let her got to,

you have to go on instincts i think,

and i actually beleive she is happy, ( she is soo tired, but happy) and that is all i would ever ask for is her to be happy

Good luck

C x

[phasmid]

As part of my research I have highlighted that transition is a major concern for us parents. With some tweaking this will be a part of my final paper. In the meantime I hope this helps:

 

Transition Advice.

 

 

For teachers:

 

Try and prepare the child in advance as much as possible of what to expect in your class by providing a booklet detailing the following:

 

Pictures of:

 

You.

TA (and any1-1 new to the child)

The classroom layout.

Doors.

Toilets.

All other ?significant adults? likely to be a part of their day-to-day school life.

 

Give details of normal day-to-day routine in a clear timetable provided in a way accessible to the child.

 

Invite them in when school is finished one day. Introduce yourself to them. Get talking to the parents and ask them what you can do to help - show willing.

 

Useful websites:

 

www.nas.org.uk

 

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/s...istant/ASDKS34/

 

http://www.aspergertips.com/

 

http://www.simonmidgley.co.uk/support/asd.htm

 

http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/

 

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/s...istant/ASDKS34/

 

http://www.thecbf.org.uk

 

 

For Parents:

 

The following is based on our experiences as parents and Mrs Phasmid?s role as a governor, my experience?s as a SEN TA and our joint knowledge generally of SEN issues. All we can say is it worked for us.

 

Even before admission papers have been issued asking you to choose schools start doing your groundwork. Visit all the schools you are considering. Arrange to go round them on a normal day and see the school at work. Do this without your child. Ask to speak to the Senco, get copies of the SEN and any other policies you want as well as a school prospectus. Most schools will be happy to do this. I'd be very wary of any that won't!

 

Once you have done that, compare your thoughts on them. Then arrange for you AND your child to visit on a normal day. See how the staff re-acts to them and your child to the staff - likewise the pupils. Then, yet again, sit down and compare notes. If, when the forms come out, the schools have open evenings go along. Take a list of any questions you have and take the time to speak to the staff. Then sit and talk it all through (AGAIN).

 

After all that, fill in your form and wait for March (normal time for being told whether you have got the place in the school of preference).

 

Once you know the school, get talking to them. Identify asap the names of important staff if you don't know them already. At this point we took Phas Jr's new school a letter describing him. His likes, dislikes. The sort of things that would upset him and how he would react - how they should react to him. We also arranged for him to have visits to the school in the summer term so he could get to know the staff, layout of the building, noise levels between lessons and so on. This was in addition to the between schools 'Transfer Day?. Through all of that, and the normal academic exchange of information between the schools they had a very good idea of what Phas Jr was going to be like. They told us the 'this is Phas jr' letter was brilliant, what?s more, they circulated it around all staff who he would be taught by - we know this as we saw the copies!

 

We also made it clear we wanted to work with them. If anything happened at home that might affect his mood at school we phoned them. Likewise if anything happened there that we should know about. We got talking. We all knew each other well long before he set foot in the school as a pupil. It was really worth the time and effort. We knew exactly who to contact when there was (is) a problem and they knew we were there to back them up.

 

Basically be careful when choosing a school - don't go on other people?s opinions, what?s right/wrong for their child may not be the case for yours! Once you know the school it's COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION!!!!

 

 

I know this is a bit late in the day for you Rachel but I hope some of it is useful. I asume your naming 'deadline' is statement driven rather than the normal secondary school addmission deadline (can't see why it would be this early otherwise). Sounds to me like you have done all the right things.

 

Good luck.

[nellie]

The following information is useful for children who have a statement.

 

Amending statements on year of transfer.

 

The law now requires that the child's Statement must be amended before February 15 of they year of transfer.

 

When it is unclear at the Year 5 review which school a child will move onto at secondary stage, the Code suggests that an interim review may be needed to comply with the requirement to amend the Statement by February 15 of the year of transfer to name the new school.

 

When the change of school is from one phase of schooling to another, the Code urges advance planning. So for transfer to secondary school it suggests that the Year 5 review should give clear recommendations as to the type of provision required after primary school. The aim is to give parents of children with Statements the same length of time as other parents to consider appropriate options. The law now requires that the child's Statement must be amended before February 15 of the year of transfer in the light of these recommendations. This applies to transfers from first to middle and to higher schools, transfers between schools at 16 and transfers from primary to secondary. It does not apply for transfers between early years provision and primary school (SEN Reg 19).

 

It is good practice for the SENCO of the receiving school to attend the Year 6 annual review for primary pupils whose Statement already names their secondary school. Parents could ask their child's primary school head teacher if this will happen at their child's final review.

[Flora]

I've got until 20th October. I've put off filling it in until I know whether the LEA are going to assess my son for a statement (D day on Tuesday ).

 

I've only so far managed to find one school that I feel comfortable with (and that's a 40 minute drive at best!).

 

I went to visit a school just over the border in West Berkshire (I live in Oxfordshire). This was going to be my first choice and I went to meet the head master as a courtesy to tell him I was going to apply.

 

The meeting was not a success but there was so much going on that week I haven't really had time to reflect on it. I won't give all the details but this was his reaction that I won't forget.

 

On being informed of my intention to apply for an out of catchment place for my son who has AS, the head of this particular school replied

 

' We have a very small special needs department. If parents of children with statements continue to want to send them here the department will be bigger than any other' He actually said 'special needs' as if it was something dirty. He then went on to say that he thought some people were getting their kids statements just so they could go to that school To which I replied 'if only it was that easy'. I then said goodbye and left because he was not worth talking to any longer.

 

I was livid but like I said, I've got other things going on otherwise I would have fired off a letter of complaint to his LEA (which I still probably will do when I have sorted out some other things this week).

 

Anyway, meanwhile I'm still left scratching my head about secondary schools.

 

Lauren

[barefoot wend]

One headteacher asked me ' Are you sure you're in our catchment area?'

[Surrey]

I went through the process last year. The borough had no suitable special schools and my local schools just didnt want to know. Several told me I was out of the catchement area and would therefore turn me down. My nearerst school told me that they didnt want special needs children watering down their results!!!!

 

Mad as I was, this did me a great big favour. I used this argument to get a fantastic specialist school out of the borough. He is doing just great. I would recommend that anyone should try for a school that is most suitable for their child, even if it is out of borough or a journey away.