Moving schools from mainstream to special

Replies

By kerry.

Re: Moving schools from mainstream to special
Mon 17 Nov 2008 19:12

Mine have always been at SEN but I know many who have transferred to SEN from mainstream and in all cases, the child has made excellent progress.

It tends to happen especially once the child reaches age 11 as they cannot cope in mainstream seniors.

I would recommend it personally, they tend to get much more individual attention and loads more support, and the teaching will be geared around your child, not your child needing to fit in with their agenda and criteria- meeting targets and so on/
Also SEN generally do not follow the national curriculum so they dont have that pressure- lets face it, most of our kids at SEN wouldnt know a GCSE if it bit 'em on the bum- but mione learn living skills, shopping, cooking, hygiene etc as well as their level best to teach them reading writing science maths etc, although at a much lower level.

By Starby

Re: Moving schools from mainstream to special
Mon 17 Nov 2008 19:38

I second what Kerry said. My son has always been at special school but he is doing so well there and the approach is generally more relaxed, although obviously the schools still have targets to meet. I'm sure your child will be very happy there and bullying is less of a problem on the whole too

By aggiebaggie

Re: Moving schools from mainstream to special
Mon 17 Nov 2008 21:16

Having been a T/A in a special unit, believe me when I say your son will benefit so much more from a special school. Sadly there are too many parents of children with problems who insist on putting and keeping them in mainstream because of what people would say or think. Other people are not as important as your child.

By mand65

Re: Moving schools from mainstream to special
Mon 17 Nov 2008 22:02

Hi i made the mistake of my eldest in mainstream senior school. They were like a pack of animals they nearly ate her alive . Two wasted years and she nearly had a breakdown,that was 10 years ago,the school did not inform me of the bulling so i didnt inform them when she moved , it took them a week to notice that she wasnt there. BEST thing we ever did changing to a special school, she came on in leaps and bounds educationally,socially and we got me girl back, she came out of her shell.......one of the regrets that i have, but turned out ok in the end............mand

By EL

Re: Moving schools from mainstream to special
Mon 17 Nov 2008 22:51

Hi MINX my son Adam now 13 was moved from mainstream to a school for Autism just after Easter, it was the best thing that could of happened to him all children have to be statemented for this particular school so check if that is the case with schools you intend to visit, Adam is a totally different kid compared to just 8 months ago, he even went on a school trip from mon to fri last month and it wasn't just any trip but one that saw he caving, kiyaking, absailing, zip wiring, rock climbing etc, we watched the dvd just a couple of days ago and i could hardly recognise my own son, he looked so comfortable and confident, 8 months ago he was scared of his own bloody shadow hope all goes well for you mate, your son will do well i'm sure especially as he will be mixing 'with his own kind' he wont be judged and will be accepted for who he is, my Adam has so many friends now and is having the time of his life he has actually said he feels he doesn't have to put on an act cause all the kids are the same as him and know how he feels

By rolandgov

Re: Moving schools from mainstream to special
Tue 18 Nov 2008 14:07

Hi Mandy,

I have recently moved my daughter who suffers with autism from a mainstream school to a special school.
3 yeas ago education decided when she reached the age of 11 yrs she would be sent from a special school to a mainstream school.
I will tell you the truth its not as easy just to take a special educational needs child out of one school and into another school.
most of the above advice is spot on and I will not go over it again but once the child is put into which ever school it is the problems are only begining.
Your child I believe is 8 yrs old which could make the move to another school easier.
My daughter who is now 14 yrs was in a special autistic unit in a mainstream school and it has given us massive problems with her noticing she is different than every one else, she hates herself being autistic and since she has been moved to a new special school which she started last Wed she has only put in 3 whole days.
so all I am saying is be prepared, I am not trying to scare you it is only the begining in another chapter of your childs school life.
The only advice I would give you is be closely involved in everything involving your childs school, don't trust anybody and if you don't agree what the experts are saying or doing say so and get all the support you can get from all corners of education social care whatever.
Good luck and if there is anyway I can help with just leave me a message on the notice board.

By kerry.

Re: Moving schools from mainstream to special
Tue 18 Nov 2008 16:58

Hi again Minx,
I will add to Rolands comments about the transitions from one place to another: he is absolutely correct, it is traumatic for any child but for our kids...well. you know.
However, I will also add we had very similar problems with our eldest and the school could not have been more accommodating in enabling the transition to go as easily as possible- they even help meetings at6pm on a friday night (without me being aware!) when they should have been home with their families as they were so concerned about getting it right for george.
It took about 6 months plus but eventually he would skip into school happy as a sand boy- after initially beating the granny out of the head, his teacher and us everytime we went near the place. (He would even kick them in the face and his then teacher was tiny and aged 59!) but they didnt care about any of that as long as he was happy.
I dont think a mainstream have time for things like that!

Best wishes and keep us posted.

By EL

Re: Moving schools from mainstream to special
Tue 18 Nov 2008 17:33

Minx. I also agree with Roland and Kerry, my sons transition was hard but not as traumatic as i expected it to be, having said said i know everyone is different, i took my son to have a look around the new school 3 times, we then moved on to sitting on a bench outside his new class togather, then we moved on to some of the more confident kids in his class coming out and having a chat with him, then the teacher, then we both sat in the ict lesson and he was able to use a pc, then we sat and watched the other boys doing pe, then we moved on to Adam sitting in the odd lesson while i sat having coffee in the parents room, overall it took a month to six weeks before i was able to leave him for a whole day by himself, all the while he was still attending his mainstream school, it wasn't long before he realised for himself which school he prefered, the mainstream school has 1600 pupils and the special school has just a little over 100, and he went to 8/9 pupils 4 teachers per class from 33 pupils 1 teacher 1 SA per class, if the transition is allowed to take place at the rate your child is comfortable with then i think any problems could easily sorted, don't rush things and don't let anyone rush you or your child. The one thing i will say gained Adam's respect was the fact that once when he 'kicked off' big time he was taken down by someone other than me he didn't know what had hit him i know it may seem bad for me to laugh but you havn't seen the size of my son it took 5 men to restrain him where as i have to do it on my own he has never 'kicked off' since, in the mainstream school i was sent for to collect him (at least 2/3 times a week)after teachers spent ages chasing him round and round the school grounds once Adam learnt how different the system was he relaxed and started to enjoy school for the first time ever i think

By Dawn Raider

Re: Moving schools from mainstream to special
Wed 19 Nov 2008 00:34

Hi Kerry,
My child (with a significant learning disability) is in third year mainstream secondary, he gets 1:1 support, and this year was offered a couple of half-day sessions (horticulture and catering) at a special ed school five miles away as the mainstream class becomes very academic, exam focused and over his head.

He was not enjoying spec ed very much at first, as he truly loves his mainstream school and friends, I was seriously considering pulling him out: but he is now enjoying it more, has made a few friends, and wishes to continue.

The evidence shows that most disabled kids in mainstream do better academically. But special schools do have some great facilities and practical courses, and at 13 or 14 these can be useful. He has no experience of any bullying whatsoever, (in either type of school) but I think its a poor option for a child to go to a different school from their brothers, sisters and neighbours kids, especially if it is some way away. Special schools are very stigmatising and isolating - well would you want one on your CV?

By moonstar

Re: Moving schools from mainstream to special
Wed 19 Nov 2008 09:24

Hi Minx.

My son has ASD, dyspraxia and learning difficulties (he is nearly 12). He was at a mainstream primary school and learned nothing from the time he went there at 41/2 until Christmas of the 4th year. I was lucky that his school had a Learning Support Unit attached to it and he was transferred into it when he went back to school in January.

It was the best thing I could have done for him. He went from a class of 30 to a class of 9 with 3 members of staff. The children all had different disabilities/learning difficulties and all work was tailored to the individual child's abilities, and there was a lot more contact with the teachers than when he was in the mainstream class, where the teacher seemed more interested in the non-statemented kids.

He spent the last 31/2 years in the Learning Support Unit and, although he is still behind academically, he can at least read and knows his alphabet and numbers, which he didn't when he moved to the Unit. He went in with no confidence in himself, was miserable and didnt want to go to school because he was teased continuously.

He has just moved to secondary school, and is also placed in a Learning Support Unit, and has settled in well. Everything has been done to help him and make school as stress-free as possible for him - the teachers actually share information about the child without me having to write a note to each of them individually!!!

From my personal experience, moving my son was the best thing I could have done for him (even though it was at the same school) because he was removed from the stress which mainstreaming caused him, and he was in an environment where he started to learn.

Once you have visited the school, you will have a better idea whether it will be suitable for your child, and meet their needs.

I hope everything goes well.

Take care.