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If you feel like your child’s needs will be best met by a special education school, you’ll probably be looking around and considering your options.
However, it can be a little overwhelming.
Choosing between schools is never easy, but when you’re looking at special education schools, in particular, there’s often a real feeling of pressure to get it right.
Below, we’ve outlined our top six things to consider when looking at the various options for schools — just keep reading to find out what they are.
1. What’s the Feel of the School?
Actually visiting special education schools helps when you’re trying to make a decision. While you can look on their website and read their prospectus, nothing compares to seeing the school for yourself.
When you’re visiting, don’t be afraid to ask questions and see how they’re answered. Look at the students too; do they seem happy? Are there posters or children’s work on the walls?
Consider these, and more, to really gauge the culture and feel of the school — would you be happy to send your child there?
2. How Does the School Manage Behaviors Typical of Your Child?
Every child will have different needs, of course, so it’s worth finding out how the school would manage your child’s behavior.
Maybe your child has a tendency to wander off — is the school locked and secure? How do they deal with students who wander off?
If applicable, talk to special ed teachers about physical restraints too. Do all staff have training and are they licensed? When would a physical restraint be deemed necessary?
3. How Do Teachers Manage Classroom Behavior?
Likewise, how is behavior managed in the classroom, and how are students taught?
Classroom behavioral management can differ from teacher to teacher depending on various factors, with different plans in place to keep students on task and focused — you might observe lessons while visiting the school, or speak to teachers.
How is core vocabulary taught to students, for example? Find out more about core vocabulary here.
4. What Services and Facilities Are Offered?
Of course, different schools will have different facilities and offer different services.
Some schools will offer services to support the whole family, not just the student, making the parents involved with their child’s education.
Is there anything that you consider an important benefit to a school, like a pool or sensory room, or is outdoor space important to you? Don’t be afraid to ask staff about what’s available.
5. What Are the School’s Policies?
It’s worth checking out the policies in place at each school, from those concerning issues mentioned above to those policies that we might not think about at first.
Does the school have an equalities policy, for example? And how is bullying dealt with? What about when it comes to children taking medication?
Take some time out to really familiarize yourself with each school’s policies.
6. Distance From Home
It’s a simple factor, but one well worth considering.
Will your child cope at a school further away from home than perhaps you’re both used to, and will they get to and from the school each day?
Choosing Between Special Education Schools
Making a decision between different special education schools is never going to be simple, but our tips above should help you along the process so that you’ll be best-placed to go ahead and find the ideal school for your child!
If you’re looking for more education advice, be sure to check out some of our other posts
