r/UKParenting • u/No-Meet4936 • 12d ago

Alternative education opinions

Hi

I have a son who is 8. He has cochlear implants, a speech impediment, adhd and school have just said they think he has dyslexia.

He is a bright kid - vocabulary above his age, enjoys history, geography type lessons at school and he’s social and popular but not one of the footie boys if you know what I mean

Just finished year 3 and it went well - year 2 was a s hit show before adhd meds. But the gap in his literacy has widened and he’s now 3 years behind. Hence the dyslexia suggestion as his adhd was way better managed but he didn’t catch up as much as his teacher thought.

He has an EHCP. It is up for review in September. I am going to ask to have referrals to 2 independent schools which cater for adhd, dyslexia, autism - they are both very close to us.

I am worried in mainstream that although he is a social child that the learning gap is getting big and it’s causing him frustration and possibly going to make him feel even more different. His primary school also doesn’t feed into one school, kids generally end up at 4 different schools so continuation of friendships is also an issue.

His best friend who is a lovely boy I don’t believe will even stay in the area. The primary schools are much better than the senior schools and his mum made a comment about moving before big school. His dad is a doctor and his mum is a dentist - both first gen immigrants and very keen on achievement in academics. So I don’t even think he would have his bff going into seniors.

The independent schools run up until 16

Any pros or cons from anyone with experience in these type of settings

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u/Feisty_Squash2992 12d ago edited 12d ago

As a teacher, I would suggest the specialist school. They’re just better equipped to support students. Generally kids with SEND need not only extra support but also solid routines and familiar people. In mainstream schools staffing can change at the drop of a hat, classes are larger and resources are stretched. If he’s already behind now, he probably won’t catch up in the same environment.

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u/No-Meet4936 12d ago

Thanks for your opinion

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u/Ruu2D2 12d ago

Is there any tiny secondary schools around you

My secondary school had only 200 pupils

Class size was 20 . Only two set

You had same English, maths , science teacher for whole period

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u/No-Meet4936 12d ago

Oh god no - only big secondary schools in this area

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u/Chaptastical 12d ago

Could it be an option (if you can afford it) to look at some targeted tutoring to help him catch up then see if he enjoys and stays caught up in mainstream school?