Moving to secondary school with an out of borough house move at the same time

drbrunel

Our son who has mild cerebral palsy with a SEN and is 8 years old is currently seemingly enjoying his primary school experience..This is after spending 3 years or so in a private school whom although enthusiastic about helping him and being inclusive turned out to be a total nightmare. His current school is a mainstream school in Kentish Town but they have loads of experience with different types of disability

So we live in West Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden and already know that the secondary school provision in the Borough is terrible. We therefore are already thinking about a house move even though its 3 years before the secondary school move. 

I therefore wanted to ask if anyone knows any schools which are either private or state in either Hertfordshire or Buckinhamsire that we can consider and visit etc that have experience with cerebral palsy. To be honest Im really worried about this as I need to ensure that we choose the right school for our son and im absolutely petrified about throwing a house move in the mix as well. I simply dont understand from a logistics point of view how we can make this work if we need to be in the new address in the borough when we apply for the new school - anyways...just focusing on the schooling element for now so if anyone has any suggestions that would be much appreciated 

Sam_Alumni

Hi @drbrunel
Choosing a school can be a really stressful experience!  Here is the guidance from the government website:

Contact your local council to find:

• schools in your area
• admission criteria for the schools you’re interested in

You can also contact your local council to apply for places in schools in other areas.

Find out about a school

You can find out more by:

• visiting the school - most schools have open days
• reading the school’s most recent Ofsted reports
• checking school league tables, which include exam results
• talking to other parents about what they think of the school

What schools must publish on their website

Schools’ websites must include:

• the amount of money they get from taking underprivileged children (the ‘pupil premium’), what they do with it and the effect it’s had
• details of the curriculum
• admission criteria
• behaviour policy
• special educational needs policy
• disability policy
• links to Ofsted reports
• links to performance data
• the school’s latest key stage 2 and 4 attainment and progress measures

You can also get advice about choosing schools from your local council. All councils have teams to help parents get their children into schools.

drbrunel

Thanks, Im pretty aware of all of the above but would be interested to hear from other parents who have been in a similar situation to get their experiences

Sam_Alumni

OK great! I hope others who can relate will be along soon

despondent

Have you discussed your concerns with the SEN Teacher at your school, they are a fountain of knowledge. Contact the Local Council of the Boroughs you are interested in, and speak to their education department and also social services to see if they can give you any help. As a teacher myself 3 years is a long time in education, and what might seem like an ideal school now, can change quite a lot in a short time. The more information you gather from departments that have knowledge of your needs or concerns the better you will be able to make an informed decision. You do need to be in a catchment area when you apply for a secondary school place and it is the year before they leave primary school. There is no guarantee in state schools that even if you move closer to an ideal school that your child will get given a place.

drbrunel

Thanks for your message... so the area we are thinking of is around 30 miles from where we are now... if we move to the new area the year before... what happens in between...? Ie does the authority expect us to commute to the area of the primary school as we have move into the catchment area of where the secondary school would be?? This seems crazy!

despondent

If your son is registered disabled he might get help with the costs of travelling. A better way would be to find an Academy School in the areas you are interested in. They can be both Primary and Secondary schools, and your child would have continuity in his education, it also would alleviate your stress of getting him into a suitable Secondary school. You would also be able to move now, rather than have to wait. Have you considered this way forward?

drbrunel

I can't believe this is how it works...Its not the cost of travelling that is the issue it is the 2 hour time that it would take there and back with all the traffic and that will just not work...( he has physio 3 days a week as well) We wouldn't consider a move now because his existing primary school is perfect for him...

I haven't even thoughtt about the jobs or myself and my wife yet!

despondent

If you were to rent a flat in the new school's catchment area, your son could stay at his school in Kentish Town, and you could apply for a secondary school from your rented flat's address. This would help you whilst you sold your existing home.