Hi All

I would really appreciate some guidance our son got 112 so is eligble to apply to GS in slough the only two which we felt would be suitable is UCGS and SBGS .

Does anyone have any direct experience with them . My understanding is that SEN support is a lot better in Grammar compared to state but not sure if this is true any
guidance either would be appreciated spefically aound ADD and ADHD TIA.

A grammar school is a state school. There is no reason why the SEN provision is better at a GS than a comprehensive, but I'm afraid I can't answer the question about these particular schools! Hopefully someone will.come along to answer you soon.

Where does this idea that grammar schools are not state schools come from? I've seen a few posts where people refer to them as different things.

Hi apologies I understand they are both state with the difference of GS being selective based on passing the 11plus was just not sure if SEN support was less or the same
as am keen to see for these two schools if anyone has ad direct access to the SEN support.

Thanks

Have you tried talking to the schools?

I would contact all the schools in the area and ask to see the SENCO and ask what specific things they can provide for the needs if your child? My own experience with a son with dyspraxia was one grammar was particularly nurturing and helpful for my son. I suspect many grammars have some young people with ASD/ ADD/ Dyspraxia/dyslexia who have complementary areas of ability.

Bearing in mind that it's half term at the moment and that some local authorities seem to have a within working hours deadline for submission for their CAF on Wednesday, not 23.59...

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Thanks for replies I Have spoken to both schools but the SEN to both schools have not spoken to and they have both not returned my emails. I feel they both have SEN capabilities but just keen to see if anyone has used them as such a complex topic.

They are both on half term and UPGS is off for 2 weeks make it a little harder.

Did you put in your CAF yet? Just to add that we looked around both these last year (and have friends whose children have been there...) both St Bernard’s and UCGS have good SEN support. Bernard’s have had a recent SENCO change so I don’t know their new one but the pastoral support there generally is verybstrong and it’s probably where we’d have sent our DD2 if she’d passed.
UCGS has a very lovely and competent SeNCO who is proactive and supportive of choldren: the staff are a little more variable as the school itself is under more pressure from all areas to perform highly (they had hugely successful progress 8 and general results: they are now the only Slough GS to not prioritise local children apart from a few token places, and to accept rank-score-based applicants from pretty much anywhere. Consequently exam “tourist” parents who used to squirel their overtutored DC into Langley and Hershel are now targetting UCGS. So your child may find themselves in a highly pressurised cohort.)

So both schools are good for SEN, certainly they have a better rep for this than LGS (whose approach when questioned was “oh, we don’t really get children with SEN here: children at LGS will EXCEL, we have four school counsellors to support them”)

I hope you get the school you want, and that your DC enjoys themselves there and feels supported.

Thank you useful to know I terms of pressure I did nt think of that side for UPGS but am very happy with the SEN side as this is more my focus to have the chance to perform well the academic side will come whichever school as long as teh SEN support id there. Thanks for your detail.