The education concerns every parent has when bringing their family to the UK are amplified when children have special educational needs. Private schools in the UK are able to cater for most of the difficulties children encounter. Provision can be specialist and outstanding; or a small modification of what is usually available. In ensuring the best provision, it is important to have a full assessment of a child’s difficulties available, and to open discussion with the school as early, and fully, as possible.
Please note that provision in state schools is not covered in this article and requires separate investigation.
PRIVATE SCHOOL PROVISION FOR THOSE WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES
» TYPES OF DIFFICULTIES GENERALLY CATERED FOR
Learning difficulties which may make the full mainstream curriculum inaccessible include dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, Aspergher’s Syndrome, Tourette’s Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Whilst most schools are happy to accept these pupils, they vary considerably in their specialist provision for these conditions.
Children with learning difficulties will often be entitled to extra time in examinations (generally 25%) providing they have an up to date Educational Psychologist’s Report or a Specialist Teacher’s report that is no less than two years old.
» LOCATING A SCHOOL
A full awareness of a child’s specific educational needs is essential in order to assess the most appropriate school to cater for these. Reports from Educational Pyschologists are helpful in ascertaining the level of educational need, though ensure these are in English if you are sending from your home country.
The Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils (CReSTeD) maintains a register of schools which offer appropriate provision for dyslexic children. The majority of these are mainstream schools offering help that ranges from extra tuition for these pupils to a much higher level of learning support. CReSTeD schools are categorised by the level of help they can provide.
» ASSESSING SCHOOLS
Most schools have a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO). Parents should meet this teacher when considering the school to assess the level of provision for each child’s difficulties. Many schools will assess a child during the visit to determine whether or not appropriate support could be provided.
» UNDERSTANDING THE COSTS
The cost of learning support varies considerably between schools both at preparatory and senior school levels. A few schools specialise in dealing with certain problems, and therefore offer the service as part of the overall fees, but the majority will charge extra. Between £20 and £25 would be the average amount for a one to one lesson, but this amount will decrease proportionately with the number of children in a shared class. A shared class would rarely be more than six. Some schools will charge more than £25.
PRIVATE SCHOOL PROVISION FOR DISABLED CHILDREN
Profoundly deaf, blind or mentally handicapped children are unlikely to be accepted fully into mainstream education. Their needs are likely to be catered for by specialist schools, most of which are state-funded.
Physically disabled children can be accommodated within mainstream schools, but placement will depend largely on the disabled facilities available. Unfortunately, provision of the necessary facilities is often hampered by the physical restraints of old buildings, especially in some private schools.
WHEN ENGLISH IS NOT THEIR NATIVE TONGUE
» PROVISION IN SENIOR SCHOOLS
Most private senior schools have a dedicated EFS (English as a foreign subject) / EFL (English as a foreign language) department. The cost of the lessons is over and above the cost of the basic fees, although some schools will offer one lesson per week as part of the fees package. Costs are similar to those of Educational Special Needs lessons.
» PROVISION IN PREP SCHOOLS
Although many prep schools can and do cater for EFS pupils, very few have dedicated departments and rely on peripatetic and part-time teachers. Peripatetic teachers will teach in a number of different schools (specialist music teachers also work on a peripatetic basis). Children for whom English is not the first language will generally be assessed by an EFS teacher prior to being accepted at a school. Some schools will be more sympathetic to language difficulties than others.