If your child has special educational needs (SEN), you might consider sending them to a specialist SEN school. However, not everyone knows the differences between a SEN and a mainstream school, or even exactly what is provided by a special school. This means that some parents may not be making the right choices for their child, and no parent wants to do that. To find out more about SEN schools, what they offer and how they differ from mainstream schools, read on.
What is a SEN school?
A SEN school is a school that provides an education for children with special educational needs and disabilities. To attend a special school, pupils need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or a statement which states their needs and how these needs can be met.
There are four different types of SEN schools, although some specialist schools provide for a broader range of special educational needs than others. The four main types of SEN school specialisms are:
- communication and interaction
- cognition (emotional, intellectual, social understanding) and learning
- social, emotional and mental health
- sensory and physical needs
There are also schools that specialise in helping children who have autism, visual impairment, or speech and language communication needs. Finding the right school for your child can take time, depending on where you are in the EHCP process. Additionally, there’s always the possibility that they would thrive in a mainstream school with a bit of support.
What do SEN schools provide?
A special school will have a high staff to student ratio, and staff members will have specialist training to help them support their pupils. This training can include Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or Makaton, as well as training in how to use the specialist equipment they have like sensory rooms. The staff at SEN school are also experienced in helping pupils with these needs and monitor their progress across every aspect of their development very closely.
SEN schools can also provide specialist, tailored learning programmes for your child. This will be tailored to their educational needs to allow them to make the most progress possible in their learning. This won’t just be limited to academic subjects, but might also include learning about social interaction, communication or anything else that might help pupils as they go through life.
The difference between mainstream schools and special schools
One of the biggest differences between mainstream schools and special schools is in the size of the classes. Special schools not only have a higher staff to student ratio than mainstream schools, but they also have much smaller class sizes than there are in mainstream education.
That is not to say that your pupil would not benefit from being in a mainstream class, as there may be more of an opportunity to get them a dedicated 1:1 teaching assistant than there would be in a special school, but having a larger class size also means that the classroom is busier. For children with sensory issues, you may find that large schools and classes are overwhelming them.
Another difference between the two types of schools is that mainstream schools will do more qualifications like GCSEs than special schools will. This is because special schools focus on teaching pupils to their needs, including going beyond the academic and helping them with their social skills.
Additionally, your child may find it easier to attend a special school as there will be other pupils with similar learning difficulties there, which may help them to make friends. This can also reduce the chances of them being bullied and help boost their self-confidence, which will help them as they come to interact with others in their life.
Finally, SEN schools have specialist equipment and staff with training that mainstream schools may not have. This means that they will have more ways to help your child than a mainstream school will, especially if your child has complex needs and needs a lot of SEN support.
Are special schools better than mainstream?
This entirely depends on the needs of your child and the schools available in your area. When considering whether to send your child to a mainstream school or a special school, you will need to consider distance, whether the school can meet your child’s needs and what your child wants.
Visiting a variety of schools and finding out more about them, by asking questions about the training the staff have, what support they would be offered and how they could support your child is vital. By visiting the school, you can also see the facilities, talk to teachers and students as well as potentially meet other parents.
Whatever you decide, when applying for a place at a school, it’s essential that it meets your child’s needs and can support them through their learning. This is especially true if you are looking at sending your child to a state school, such as a maintained school run by the local authority.
Summary
Knowing what SEN schools are available and can provide a child with the support they need is crucial to being able to make the right decision when finding a school. Whether your child is on the autistic spectrum, has speech and language issues or something else, having an EHCP is the first step to ensuring their needs are met.
From there you can investigate schools and colleges to find out which offers the most support for your child. Do they need 1:1 support, or is it more important that they access a curriculum that is more than academic? Do they need specialist equipment and teachers trained in skills like Makaton? Do they want to do as many GCSEs as possible and follow the national curriculum as much as they can?
Finding a solution doesn’t just mean placing your child in one school. You can see if your local authority can offer dual registration – where your child attends both a SEN and a mainstream school. Finding the right solution for your child is important, so be prepared to take the time and do the research to make sure your child will be happy.
Author bio: Rachel Gowland works at digital marketing agency, Tillison Consulting. She’s a passionate gamer and avid reader who loves to travel, using her knowledge of foreign languages to connect with people around the world.