EDUCATION IN FOCUS
✒
This reluctance to show a Dyslexia Teaching Centre in London.
full hand works both ways, as some “There are different ways of educating
mainstream schools with excellent kids and it should be fun. Put yourself
provision are sometimes reluctant in their shoes; would you prefer to be
to appear in reliable listings such on a level footing with your peers or
as the Good Schools Guide: Special bumping along the bottom, perhaps
Educational Needs or The Council of never achieving your potential?”
the Registration of Schools Teaching Jackie Murray, headmistress of
Dyslexic Pupils (CReSTeD), for fear Fairley House, a special school in
of attracting too many SEN pupils and London, believes in placing children
putting off prospective mainstream in a school where everyone is battling
pupils, so parents have to rely on similar diffi culties, so that the school
word of mouth. can mould lessons around the pupils’
But information is out there. If the needs rather than expecting them to fi t
head is unforthcoming, speak directly in. “In mainstream schools, children
to the SENCo (the SEN coordinator), feel stigmatised when withdrawn from
and if support seems impressive, class for extra help or discouraged
establish how well it is communicated when they fail,” she says. “It is by
throughout the school by interviewing succeeding, sometimes for the fi rst
Stanbridge Earls School for
girls and boys with learning
different department staff. “What’s time in their lives, that these
diffi culties including dyslexia,
dyspraxia and dyscalculia.
happening to the children outside the children will develop self-esteem
SEN department is as important, if and confi dence.”
not more,” stresses one special needs There are other options, such as The Dominie, “is that they continue
co-ordinator. a tutor fi lling the gaps or tutorials on their own right path. Most will
Confi dence and self-esteem play for dyslexia. Emerson House in go back into mainstream education
an integral part in a child’s learning. Hammersmith, London, is a one- but other children may be better
Catching them before they lose this off school founded by speech and suited to a specialist secondary school.
can make all the difference later on. language expert Jane Emerson. She This does not mean it’s the end of
“The last thing you need is to put takes boys and girls from mainstream mainstream education, as many pupils
them off in their primary years,” schools up to fi ve mornings a week to will go on to college and university.”
points out Jo Petty, Director of the work on their three R’s and teach them Bruern Abbey and Appleford,
to touch type as early as possible. Wiltshire are just two of a raft of
For some, this will be enough, but schools springing up in response
Specialist Schools
parents must decide for themselves to the growing recognition of the
London
Stanbridge Earls School
whether plugging the holes is a long need for special education facilities.
Abingdon House
www.stanbridgeearls.co.uk term solution when a special school Bruern, a 80-strong boys prep school
www.abingdonhouseschool.
The Unicorn School
provides a holistic approach, with in Oxfordshire, celebrates ‘individual
co.uk
www.unicorndyslexia.co.uk
extra-curricular activities including talent’, even encouraging quirkiness.
Emerson House
South West
www.emersonhouse.co.uk
Mark College
sport as well as art and drama. “For Its remit is to take boys with dyslexia
Fairley House
www.priorygroup.com
many children, a short-ish time in a and prepare them for Common
www.fairleyhouse.org.uk
Shapwick Prep School
school that really boosts them is very Entrance into mainstream public
The Dominie
www.shapwickschool.com
www.thedominie.co.uk
valuable,” believes specialist teacher schools. One parent of a severely
The Moat School
Midlands
Jenny Garwood, a director of the dyslexic boy there remarked: “I
www.moatschool.org.uk
Maple Hayes Dyslexia
School www.dyslexia.gb.com
Dyslexia Teaching Centre. couldn’t believe how confi dent my boy
South East
St Crispin’s School Both Fairley House and The had become, making speeches and
Appleford
www.stcrispins.co.uk
www.appleford.wilts.sch.uk
Dominie, also in London, aim to getting fi ve As in common entrance.”
Brown’s School
North East
return their children to mainstream Last summer, a Bruern Abbey boy
www.brownsschool.co.uk
Nunnykirk Centre for
Dyslexia
education within three years, bringing won a scholarship to Winchester.
Calder House School www.
calderhouseschool.co.uk
www.nunnykirk.co.uk children’s literacy and numeracy up to With small class-sizes and special
Frewen College Wales
public school standards while making teaching strategies designed to
www.frewencollege.co.uk St David’s College
sure they’re mentally prepared. But accommodate these children, most of
Moon Hall School www.stdavidscollege.co.uk
they recognise that the transition the experts believe that mainstream
www.moonhallschool.co.uk
Scotland
Northease Manor School
The New School
from specialist to public school is not schools could learn a huge amount from
www.northease.co.uk
www.thenewschool.co.uk
easy. “What matters most,” cautions the specialist approach to education.
Anne O’Doherty, headmistress of Proof is in the fact that many specialist
46 FIRST ELEVEN SPRING 2010 WWW.FIRSTELEVENMAGAZINE.CO.UK
pp45-47FE_SPR10MainstreamSMsub.indd 46 28/1/10 18:10:03
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