Choosing a secondary school

Written By Helen Grimes

The transition from primary school to secondary often feels like a huge step and sometimes a leap of faith. Often, when children have dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties, these feelings can be amplified. Will a new, larger school be able to support my child in the same way? How will they manage more formal learning and exams? What sort of support will be available?

We often get questions about individual schools and what they should be looking for to best support their child. While we cannot recommend specific schools, we can support you in understanding the sorts of things that might be helpful to find out. Many schools will be opening their doors at this time of year, encouraging parents and children to attend open days to enable them to get a feel for what’s on offer, meet staff and students and generally have a look around. It is well worth attending these if you can but also asking for a chat or meeting with the Additional Needs Coordinator (ALENCO; or SENCO in England) might feel more appropriate.

We’ve compiled a list of questions that you might want to consider asking.

Whole School Ethos

  • How is information about ALN communicated before the child starts Year 7?

  • Who is the main contact for concerns regarding ALN?

  • Does the school have an agreed strategy or policy around dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties

  • Have staff received recent training on dyslexia/SpLD?

  • Is there a positive ethos towards ALN and do all teachers take responsibility for adapting lessons?

Assistive Technology

  • Is using a laptop as a normal way of working encouraged for dyslexic students from Year 7 onwards?

  • Are dyslexia students actively encouraged and supported to use assistive technology e.g. read aloud/text-to-speech, speech recognition software?

  • Can students have a designated laptop and who provides this?

  • Do school encourage use of reading pens in a range of classes?

Classroom-based Reasonable Adjustments

  • Are notes and powerpoints provided to reduce the need to copy from the board?

  • Is homework backed up on the school’s online platform e.g. google classroom?

Interventions

  • What evidence-based interventions are used to develop literacy skills?

  • Who delivers interventions and do they have recognised training in dyslexia?

Exam Access Arrangements

  • Are exam access arrangements as ‘normal way of working’ in place from Year 7?

  • Is support with study skills and exam techniques offered, including how to use extra time?

All children with additional learning needs are different, and you may just want to ask just a few of these questions initially, choosing the ones that feel the most relevant for your child. You may also have questions of your own but we hope that these are helpful in making an informed decision.

Helen Grimes