Demystifying Independent Specialist Schools a Must Read for Parents with Kids who are Struggling at School.

Introduction

If you think a specialist school is only for children with severe disabilities and that it will stigmatize and derail your child’s future then have I got news for you: that pre-conception is completely wrong.

In this blog post I would like to demystify the stigma of the specialist school with the help of Mr. Day who is the Head teacher at the Unicorn School in Abingdon. The Unicorn, https://www.unicornoxford.co.uk/, is an independent specialist school focused on helping students with dyslexia and related learning difficulties.

At the end of this post you will be armed with the right facts about whether an independent specialist schools is worth exploring for your child.

Are independent specialist schools for neurodiversity only for severely disabled children?

Personally I was guilty of this mis-conception that a specialist school is only for the severely disabled.

Perhaps that view point got its roots in the fact that government sponsored specialist schools are in fact only for the severely disabled with an Educational Health Care Plan. Mr Day explained it well in the SEND Parenting podcast episode 2: There are great government sponsored specialist schools out there for children with real severe learning difficulties, you know, global difficulties. Then there is mainstream school and there is this huge gap that goes between this real specialist provision and mainstream. Local authorities and government’s view is that everybody’s needs can be met in mainstream apart from this tiny percentage who need the real specialist care. This is just not the case. We know as we have had children who have come to us, who have been off school for the last 6 - 12 months because they cannot cope in a large mainstream class with 25-30 children.

How do parents know if a specialist school is the right environment for their child?

This is a tough question for parents especially when there is a pre-conceived notion that a specialist school is for those children who are severely impacted by global learning disabilities.

Mr. Day illustrates this point by recounting a visit from prospective parents who asked him: “ How do I know that my child needs to come here?” “Does my child actually need everything that you are offering in this school like speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and art therapy”.

Mr. Day’s answer is quite simple, can you picture your child here? As he took the parents around the school they began to realise, well, it’s a terrible term to use, but the reality is these children are normal and my child is normal and yes I could picture them here.

Every parent wants their child to go to a mainstream school to go to the local primary or prep school and then the local secondary school, that is their goal. That is all they want for their child. And it is hard for them to accept and understand that their child might not be able to cope in that environment. It is only when they come and actually meet the children and realize, wow, these kids are great.

Hearing the children’s voice is really important and I do ask the children to tell the prospective parents what is different between their old school and the Unicorn? What do they think has improved the most? Why? The power of the child’s voice in expressing how they are happier, more confident are doing better at their subjects and feel accepted by their peers shines out. It is that child’s voice that resonates with prospective parents hearing some of the challenges faced currently by their son or daughter being met and overcome by the specialist school. It is more powerful than anything I can say to them or they can read on the website.

Below are the voices from the pupils at The Unicorn:

“Before The Unicorn I had no confidence in myself. It helped to bring out who I truly was”

“I understand all the work, I feel confident and alive!”

“I love The Unicorn, it’s allowed my bells to ring”

“The Unicorn was the only place I enjoyed going to school”

The younger you move a child into a specialist school the better their chance at better outcomes. Mr Day believes through his 16 years of experience that when children come a little bit later, the gap just gets wider and wider and it’s harder for us to close those gaps. Also, their own self-esteem starts to go through the floor and their own belief in who they are. We have to try and work on that side, as well. So the younger the child the better.

Over subscription of specialist schools- when is the right time to move your child?

I was lucky to get a place for my daughter at The Unicorn mid-year 3 just before COVID broke out. Mr. Day informed me if was to bring her to the school now looking for a placement in year 7, I would have a year or more wait to get her a place. The Unicorn has around 20 places a year with around 10 of those being students leaving for sixth form and around 10 going back into mainstream school. For the past three years there have been 250 enquiries per year for those 20 places, this school year from September to November we have had 110 enquiries.

Ethos of the Unicorn to close the gap and have kids move back into mainstream

At the Unicorn the goal is to get those who are able back into mainstream and to that affect about 10% of the school go back into mainstream each year. Unfortunately their specialist provision in the majority of cases is not continued in mainstream due to oversubscription and the belief they have benefitted from a year or two at The Unicorn and so should give the opportunity to another student.

Secondary School at the Unicorn

This is one of the more popular times for parents to enrol their children as the thought of sending them to a large secondary school of 1200-1500 pupils is daunting or they have started in such an environment and things have spiralled out of control.

Giving your child the best possible chance at their GCSEs

GCSEs are a stressful time in all pupils life, at the Unicorn the GCSEs are undertaken over a three year period from year 9-11. The students are completely competent on their laptops utilizing skill like dictation, typing and immersive reader. They are able to translate these skills to the GCSE and take their exams utilizing technology.

Mr Day describes the process: we actually use six different examination boards because we can find the best ones for our children. In mathematics that might be the Cambridge GCSE because instead of doing three papers, one of which is a non-calculated paper, they do two papers, both of which are calculated papers. And for our children who are dyscalculia who have been trying to learn their tables since they were six and now they’re 16 and they still don’t know their tables, they know they have a huge crutch with them in that they’ve got a calculator. Now they don’t realize that because there’s two calculated papers, the questions are actually much harder, but actually give them the calculator and all of a sudden they have the confidence to fly through it.

In the Food and Nutrition GCSE we use the Welsh Joint Education Board paper because 60% of that is coursework. And for our children, that means they're not relying on one exam at the end of a three year course. You know, they can actually work throughout the whole period to be able to give themselves the best chance of success. Celebrating success at the Unicorn whether you get a 5 or 9 on your GSCE they are equally celebrated by teachers, parents and students!

It may sound bizarre, but the GCSEs are the hardest set of exams to get through because it’s such a wide range that you to focus on. Once you can choose your A level subjects or you can choose your vocational course that is a real passion for, and then you can fly with it.

Conclusion:

As a parent if your child is not thriving in school even after you have put in extra measures both at home and within the school, it may be time to consider a specialist school. Lacking a confirmed SEND diagnosis should not be a barrier to exploring a specialist school. Currently waiting lists for a neurodiverse diagnosis are 2-3 years, this void can cause parents to wait leaving their children in a holding pattern. This has a ripple effect where children fall further behind, get more disengaged with school and have increased anxiety. The gap continues widening as time goes on and the ability to claw back their potential gets harder to realize.

You know your child and you know if they are not thriving in mainstream school. Hopefully this blog has dispelled some myths about specialist schools and maybe even got you excited about what your child could achieve in the right environment.

Please leave a comment! Has this blog changed your perception of a specialist schools as a potential

option for your child’s future?

For a more in depth look at this topic please listen to SEND Parenting Podcast Episode 2

Resources:

https://absolutely-education.co.uk/top-sen-schools-uk/

https://www.talkeducation.com/news/the-best-schools-in-the-uk-for-send-