Advice on Starting Secondary School
Introduction
I work in a Barnsley Secondary School and my son has just survived Year 7 in a school in Pontefract. Naturally we had worries when he started and yes there have been a few anxious moments (particularly PE lessons), but he has managed well, has got a decent report, has not been bullied, has no bruises and despite saying he hated every day, he went back to school last week with no complaints at all. He has done a week, including homework and has not driven us mad! Back to topTips
May I be so bold as to give a few tips!Don't write to the Head and assume all will be well and that all the teachers will be aware of Asperger's and that they will all react accordingly. Secondary schools are very big places and teachers have hundreds of children to deal with, a multitude of demands on their time and mountains of paper. BUT - the appropriate teachers will respond if they are made properly aware of the situation from day one. You need to do your preparation!
About a year before admission book an appointment with the Head, Special Needs Coordinator and the Head of the Pastoral System to discuss the issues. Mention the obvious, but ask about contact with parents, parent evenings, Parents Association, reports etc.
Go and have a look around the school during the normal school day. By all means go to Open Day, but you really need to get a feel of the school whilst it is in session.
Keep in contact with the Head of the Pastoral System. Ask for your child to be put in a form with any friends he/she may have. You should know about Spring Bank before admission which Form Group and which Form Teacher.
Your most important contact in school will be your child's Form Teacher. It should be possible to arrange to meet the form teacher well before the end of the school year before admission. Contact the Head of the Pastoral System. Discuss matters with the Form Teacher and leave some information about your child behind in written form as well as some general literature on Asperger's.
Ask the Form Teacher to let you know who your child's teachers will be in September. These are the important people you need to get to know. There is no point in asking the Special Needs Coordinator to tell the teachers.
You have 2 options. You could ask to speak to your child's teachers (about 8 or 9) in a brief early meeting, leaving them literature etc. This may well be daunting for most. Alternatively duplicate your literature and notes on your child, including contact number, email etc and send it personally to each teacher. It will make a difference and will not get lost in the pile of internal paper. Ask each teacher to contact you when/if things go wrong and also ask how best to contact them.
Build up a relationship with the Form Teacher and the Head of Year and contact each other as needed. The Form teacher will be able to keep an eye on social groupings in the class and get others to keep an eye on your son/daughter.
Join the school's Parents Association. This will be a very good area of support for you and will keep you in the know about what is happening in school. You may also feel more comfortable if/when you need to come into school to sort out any worries. Back to top