J has attended three morning sessions at the new school.
Next week he will be staying for lunch there.
There is a kind of disbelief within me, that he is moving on from his primary school, and growing up. I still clearly remember my first day at secondary school, so it's surreal to be the mum this time. I don't feel old enough, despite looking it twice over!
I am always grateful that he is within the special needs school system, so I am not worrying about him struggling within a mainstream setting.
With the transition sessions, the new school are able to assess his needs, and decide what class he will enter.
I am almost certain he will be solely 'class based', the same as he is at primary school.
There is no moving around school, between classes and lessons. He will stay in one room, with the same structure.
There are children that are capable of moving around the school independently, and they are treated more like mainstream pupils, with appropriate responsibilities and expectations.
If J was allowed to move independently around school, he would end up running water from the taps in the rest room, finding his way out to the playground, sneaking into the staff room and eating all their biscuits, turning on a lone computer, and getting on to You Tube to watch The Fimbles, or Bear in the Big Blue House, and possibly even escaping from the grounds of the school - my first visit, the reception desk was unmanned, and a pupil wandering around pressed the button to open the gate for me to enter! Not a good first impression for me really, was it?!
The new school focuses a lot on art and drama. Art will be popular for J, as he enjoys using different mediums to create his pieces. I have been informed that the art teacher is incredibly inspiring and supportive to the pupils, so I am anticipating some fabulous creations coming home.
The drama side will not appeal to J so much, I think. This is mainly because of his verbal skills and communication. He would be able follow physical direction and visual prompts, but he doesn't gain enjoyment from it. It is more a motion for him. I can say this confidently, as he took part in the 'Rock Challenge' with his school, and although he participated with no qualms, he did so with an almost robotic feeling - he was doing what he had been taught, and not because he was gaining enjoyment from it. This is my post about it - Rock Challenge 2013
Around 10 weeks from now, he will become a secondary school child. I can see the time flying by already. My first born is growing up fast. It's a strange mix of emotion. He will cope with it all just fine, I am almost certain - as long as the new school keeps the high level of routine and safety that he has become accustomed to.
