Back to school when raising disabled children

Changes to routine and lack of support are some of the issues families told us make going back to school difficult. See here some of our family stories and signposting to useful resources.

A photo of a classroom with children, raising their hands. At the bottom of the photo is a drawing of a yellow pencil where we can read 'back to school'

Throughout the UK, families are getting ready for starting nursery or primary school, moving to a special educational needs school, home-educating or making the transition from school to college.

The ‘back to school’ season can be challenging for families raising a disabled or seriously ill child. Change to routine, sensory overload, lack of support are just some of the issues families tell us make it difficult.

This week, we look at what being ‘back to school’ means for families raising disabled or seriously ill children.

Finding the right Special Educational Needs (SEN) nursery

Kim and her son Lenny are preparing for the move from nursery to a specialist primary school. She told us: “Going from nursery 10 hours per week to a full-time nursery, five days a week, six hours a day is terrifying to me as a parent. Lenny went to three different nurseries which couldn’t cope with his needs. Then we tried a SEN nursery. There were only three children and he had one to one support there. It was a hit from the start and he coped really well.

“The transition process has been scary. His schoolteacher did a quick home visit in June. And then in July we went to see his classroom with the other children who will be in his class.

“I’ve done a visual book with pictures of the school, the teachers and the other children which we hope will familiarise him with the new faces. But only time will tell how he, and us as a family, will cope and adjust. One thing I will say is letting go with such little knowledge is very hard as a parent and that’s okay.”

Getting the right support in mainstream schools

Tyrion’s mum Kathryn tells us about getting Tyrion’s diagnosis and extra support from school.

“Tyrion was diagnosed with autism at the age of four. Signs of autism were picked up when he was at nursery, but they don’t tend to test the child until they’re at school. His school was absolutely fantastic! They had all the information from nursery and took a couple of months to observe Tyrion themselves before helping to complete the process.

“Tyrion attends a mainstream school which he enjoys. He did struggle a bit last year with the transition between year two and year three since the work does get a lot harder. But I’ve had meetings with school, and they’ve put support in place which has helped him to settle more.”