SEN and 11+

Advice on Special Needs and the 11 Plus Exams

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HP
Posts: 438
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2006 2:06 pm

SEN and 11+

Post by HP »

Hi All,

I have been reading and posting messages on this forum for well over a year and have noticed a quite a lot of the queries relate to children with varying degrees of SEN.

What has become apparent is that actually many parents have knowledge of this area and have been kind enough to share the positives and negatives of their experiences to help others.

Forum Admin has been yet again fantastic and created a thread so that these queries can be centralised into one place (BIG THANKYOU :) )

Hope that this will make it easier for parents of children with SEN who intend to sit or have sat the 11+ to find advice, inspiration and support for these Very Special Children (no offence intended to others, I know all children are special).

So, if you have any queries about SEN in relation to 11+, or post 11+ try posting here first and hopefully, as with Appeals we can build a database of really sound advice.

Will go through the forum over the coming days and put some FAQ's and answers which have appeared as a starting point for queries.

Thanks again to Forunadmin for this very valuable resourse.

HP
greta
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:30 pm
Location: Bucks

Post by greta »

I have been enjoying browsing everyone's results posts today - and was really happy to see this new section. HP and others were really helpful to me for our son who has SEN, has a statement and yes did pass his 11+ this year.
As he has a statement we had notification of his school allocation 2 weeks ago and were really please he got his first choice. I mention the ealrier allocation as we weren't aware we would hear early and it might help other to know in the future. In fact the letter came rather out of the blue and I opened it along with the other bills! I now understand that there is an earleir deadline for statemented children.
Well done Forum Admin for creating this section. I am sure it will be really helpful to others in the future.
Greta
SJ
Posts: 171
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 11:14 am
Location: Lincolnshire

Post by SJ »

Yes HP I agree Forum admin have been great in getting this initiated so quickly upon request. I will post my experiences and considerations in the near future, but all of you out there who have areas of concern regarding Special Needs and the 11+ believe me his forum is a great support and we will all help if we can.
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

What an excellent development - Well done to Forumadmin and HP!

Good luck with the FAQs, HP. It will be a valuable resource.
Etienne
SJ
Posts: 171
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 11:14 am
Location: Lincolnshire

Post by SJ »

At Spalding Grammar School they were very accommodating for children with Aspergers Syndrome either without or without statement. These children can find it difficult with a large number of people in the room, especially those they do not know. SGS actually put just a couple of students in a room that had the same concerns and did everything to make sure that they were able to give of their best without actually giving them any special priviledges, just making them comfortable and welcome. Very refreshing and supportive.
HP
Posts: 438
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2006 2:06 pm

Post by HP »

Thank you SJ for your post. Wonderful to read about a school with positive strategies to support new pupils in this way.

Do hope that you will come back and let up know how your son settles at his new school.

HP
chad
Posts: 1647
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:49 pm
Location: berkshire

Post by chad »

Just thought I would update you on my Son's experience at settling in at Grammar school.
My son has Aspergers but is not statemented. His main worries are disruption to routine and a certain lack of social understanding.
Slough Grammar have been superb.
Although he took the 11+ without the school knowing he had Aspergers I went along to see the SEN shortly after he was offered a place. She (and his 'form tutor to be') answered all his questions and made him feel wanted and relaxed. They sent him a 'timetable' of his first day so that he knew exactly what would happen and have continued to have an 'open door' policy and supported him with any 'problems' :roll: that he has had.
The teachers all have the same high expectations of him academically (and in respect of conduct) but just ensure he knows exactly what is expected and the steps he has to take to achieve it.

I had my reservations whether my son would be able to cope with the faster pace at a grammar school but, nearly 2 terms in, I am now certain I made the right choice. He enjoys the school... never says 'it was boring' (so often said about his previous school) and has proved that with the right support from parents and the school he can achieve.

And of course make me a very proud mum. :wink:
SJ
Posts: 171
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 11:14 am
Location: Lincolnshire

Post by SJ »

An inspiration Chad as my son is also not statemented but has Aspergers Triats and struggles with exactly the same things as your son. I also have the same concerns, with the pace at Grammar school and your post has been reassuring. We are going to see the SENCO in the next few weeks now that we have accepted our place, but all of the queries I have put to them in the past have been dealt with in a most professionsl, helpful and supportive manner, so I am hopeful.
stevew61
Posts: 1786
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 9:54 pm
Location: caversham

Post by stevew61 »

Dear All,

Good to hear positive feed back on SEN at grammar schools.

Having completed this years 11+ cycle being a parent I am now programmed to worry about my year 2 boy. General concern that as he gets older and has to go to a larger school he will be more obviously the odd one out. :cry:

However have to remind myself of our motto "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it and concentrate on doing our best each day". :)

Please keep us updated with your experiences it really helps. We were fortunate that we had early intervention and are now coping without any extra support. :o


stevew61
Jo

11+ SEN section

Post by Jo »

What a great section for us parents, I am new to this site and really enjoyed reading comments. My son is high functioning austistic year 5 with a Statement of 25 hours. He is a bright child and his brother goes to a grammar school. Has anyone any advice. Whilst he is bright like many austistic kids he finds literacy much more difficult and throughout his life has taken longer than others to grasp concepts. He has taken longer to master reading (his lack of interest in books, probably had some effect). Reading and comprehension has in the past been slower than his peers as has his ability to stay focused on tasks in school and homework. However to date he is now steadily catching up and his reading has improved very considerably. The point is he has visited his local grammar school and really wants to go there. This is where his brother goes and so do many of his class friends hope to get a place. I am worried that as statemented children are allowed to name their preferred school early in July, by choosing the grammar prior to the test, we could loose out on a secondary school with a unit if he fails thes test. Unfortunately good secondary schools in the Gravesend area seem to be very lacking for boys and I am reallly concerned about where he could end up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks
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