EDUCATION IN FOCUS
Mainstream or
specialist school?
If your child has special educational needs, it’s a tough
decision. Violet Naylor-Leyland asks the experts for advice
their social network and have all Bidwell. Your child is an individual
FIRST ELEVEN the advantages and facilities offered with needs, ‘special’ or otherwise, that
IN FOCUS
by a large school. “I explored every must be identified before you start
possibility of not sending him to looking for a school to meet them.
a ‘special’ school because… I was The better you know what these are,
C
hoosing the right school is prejudiced,” said one mother. For the easier it will be to ask the right
never easy, but when you many parents, the thought of sending questions and the clearer your choice
find out that your child their child to a school where everyone of school will become.
has learning difficulties, has something “wrong” with them Many mainstream schools now
it suddenly gets a lot more difficult. is hard to come to terms with. “The cater for mild and moderate dyslexia
Not only are most parents coming to world isn’t dyslexic, so is it fair sending and other learning disorders including
terms with the information that their our daughter into an environment dyspraxia. In fact, you’d be hard
child is not going to graduate magna which is?” asked one father. pushed today to find an independent
cum laude, but also that they might However, once told that their school without a special educational
not even get into the school of their, child has a learning disability, parents needs (SEN) department, and they’re
or your, dreams. And even if they can, have to accept that they should set improving all the time. But it is
that maybe you shouldn’t be sending aside their own expectations and put difficult to know exactly how good
Many mainstream
them there anyway. the needs of their child first “It is these departments are without asking
schools have good
SEN support,
If they are honest, most parents important that you stand back and some searching questions, and many
including Pangbourne
College in Reading
will admit that they would prefer to as calmly and objectively as possible parents worry that by revealing their
(main image), Millfield
Prep in Somerset (top
send their children to a mainstream take a long hard look at your child,” child’s difficulties, they might be
and middle left) and
public school where they can maintain says educational psychologist Veronica risking their chances of getting in.
✒
Slindon College in
Arundel (below).
WWW.FIRSTELEVENMAGAZINE.CO.UK SPRING 2010 FIRST ELEVEN 45
pp45-47FE_SPR10MainstreamSMsub.indd 45 28/1/10 18:09:50
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