Parenting: Helping my neurodiverse child

Your f- ooh, gosh, this is one I think many parents are agonizing with around the country.

"We've a girl in sixth class.

We're in the process of looking at which secondary school she might go to.

There's no secondary school in our village, so all the kids in our class will scatter to a variety of schools around the area.

We have the option of picking a private school, not to board, but as a day student.

We're lucky that it's financially viable for us.

Our daughter knows of the school and likes the idea of it because of all the facilities.

Most of the girls in her class will go to a non-fee-paying school nearby.

Our daughter also likes the idea of going to secondary with that group.

I know Joanna can't make the decision for us," I wish, "but has she any advice about how to approach the decision? Do we take into account a 12-year-old's preferences? Is it generally better to stick with a known friend group from primary? What do we prioritize in making this decision? Neither my partner or myself went to fee-paying schools.

We just automatically went to the local schools nearest.

Private education is not a priority for our family.

My priority is a happy teenager."

Yeah.

God, Sean, literally, I think this conversation is going on up and down the country.

I'm hearing a lot of people with the same question, and I think it's largely because offers of secondary school places are going to start coming out from November onwards, so decision time is on top of everyone.

And I hear this parent saying private education is not a priority, but it is in the choice that they're making.

So I'm curious, well, what was it about that school? If, if you're not prioritizing private education, something about that school has made you say, "Oh, I think that would be a good fit for her." And that's really the essence of a decision.

You choose a school that offers as full, as varied, as inclusive options as possible for your child.

You're not just looking at, this is a school, you're looking at a community.

This is where my child is going to negotiate their adolescence.

They're going to be here for the next, whatever it might be, six years, and I want them to really fit in and be part of a, a community that encourages them to grow and develop into the person they're becoming.

Now, that all sounds lovely, doesn't it?

[laughs]

I should put that on a flyer somewhere.