Finding the right school is about what’s on your compass, writes Sefton Booth. Point yourself in the right direction and get to the heart of that feeling.
You put yourself at the heart of the school, and you use all eight of your senses (yes, eight: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, proprioception, interoception and vestibular). But this is only the beginning of feeling if the school is right for your child. You’re considering whether the Ofsted badge has any currency any more. You’re wondering if what school leaders are telling you means anything, or if it’s all a load of untested theory. After all, you didn’t experience any of that when you were at school.
How are you going to find a school which has high expectations for all pupils? You know that pupils benefit from purposeful and exciting learning opportunities. You want staff who are highly skilled at supporting pupils’ special educational needs. You want an exceptional school, where all pupils are valued and nurtured—a school with an unwavering determination to put pupils at the heart of everything. You hope to meet staff who get to know your child well, and who care greatly about supporting their social, physical, and educational development. A school that truly understands.
Following the navigation metaphor, the centre of your compass has to be what’s right for your child, you and your family. Look for clues on schools’ websites. It will be clear what the children and young adults are doing each day, so read and see if you relate to the headteacher and their suggested vision. Are the environments structured and predictable? Does the school understand individual child journeys? Does it appreciate the kind of reflective inquiry that you, the parent, naturally do.
Your first compass point is research. Research, research and research. Many SEN schools have a brilliant offer, but what should you look for? Questions will come flooding the more you look. Do you see an inspirational and ambitious specialised curriculum which expertly moves through the school and extends into the sixth form, or has clear links to another school? Are students empowered to become increasingly independent as they prepare for adult life (beginning in EYFS). Does the school use an evidence recording package—do they promote its use and do parents have ownership?
Behaviour and safety are the basics for any child in any school, and it’s no wonder that Ofsted can immediately change an inspection from Section 8 to section 5 if these areas are weak. Typically, you should be able to read through a school’s behaviour policy from their website which will tell you exactly how they manage behaviour. Schools typically use a behaviour package for pupils and staff, for example Team Teach and a behaviour recording system such as Behaviour Smart. High up on the list is how they handle safeguarding—who is their Designated Safeguarding Lead? Is it clearly indicated, and what program do they use to support strong safeguarding knowledge in the school. If the answer from every staff member is “It is everybody’s responsibility” when asking about safeguarding, you know the school has taken it seriously.
What extracurricular activities are on the school calendar? Are pupils given responsibility such as being school counsellors or running the weekly school café? There should be a plethora of enrichment opportunities for pupils to get involved with. If all of this begins to excite you, then you might have pointed the compass in the right direction.
Your next compass point is the visit. This is make-or-break. It’s where you experience the school’s culture and feel. Does it warm your heart or make you feel cold? Questions will hit you again. How do staff talk and communicate? How do they feel about working there—do they run down corridors trying to get to the next item on a long to-do list, or is it orderly, calm and friendly? Take the time to see every class—you never know who or what you may meet which will support your future views. Ask the people who work there what they think of the head or deputy. Can you see the school staff guiding pupils impressively towards their future aspirations. Are teachers and teaching assistants expertly modelling language and communication all the time?
Are teachers approachable and able to explain what they are doing when you pop by their class (possibly soon to be your child’s). Can they talk you through some of the learning from that day? When leaving the school, you might want to pop by the local shop or post office and ask them what the school is like.
Now that you have some idea of where you want to go, it’s time for your family to point your compass in the direction of the local authority. You will have a case worker who will support you in applying for schools. They will tell you that every SEN school is full. Sadly, they aren’t just trying to fob you off… they really are full. They are full across the UK, and all authorities are putting in effort to expand schools or create alternative provisions (want to see an amazing AP—look at Tollgate School in London). It’s your job to convince the case worker that it’s imperative your child attends the school you’ve picked. Due to the national stretch, this part of the process is difficult, so build a relationship with your caseworker, meet in person, and explain how you’ve linked with the school. Tell them all about how across the school community, the feeling of positivity and resilience shown by pupils is remarkable, and that your child needs a school placement there. I can’t emphasise this enough: do everything in your power to build relationships and develop what you are really looking for.
So your compass is finally pointing to the selected school. You’ve done everything you can. Or have you? Keep building trust and relationships with the school. The closer the better. Get involved, and become supportive. Positivity goes a long way with people who work every minute to make sure your child gets the best deal possible. They really do—the people who have chosen SEN school as a vocation truly care for your child, so try to put a confident foot forward, and be happy that you’ve navigated to where you are. You have read your feelings well and found out everything you can. This is now your child’s second home, where many of their experiences will become memories that your child and you will be able to cherish forever.