Ambitious about autism has boiled down a lot of material to produce their toolkit: Right from the start. It is a guide to autism in the early years that takes parents through their autism journey up to starting school at the age of 4 or 5. It covers quite a lot.
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Click icon to find it, after any sponsored items. To view toolkit, select:
Right from the start toolkit | Ambitious about autism PDF
The webpage contains many individual checklists as well as a download now button. Look for:
Parent toolkit – Ambitious about autism -> early years
Below are the toolkit’s checklists to help with choosing a school. You need the whole toolkit, though, to get the explanations that go with them.
Practical support
This chapter, in the toolkit, is mostly about getting support for a child with Special educational needs & disability (SEND) in childcare or school.
There is a form called Choosing childcare checklist to help make notes when visiting each setting or childcare provider. There are many kinds of registered childcare, including child-minders, private and maintained nurseries as well as those attached to a primary school. Ofsted registers and inspects them.
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Choosing a school is some way down in the chapter Practical support.
School admissions and applying for an EHC plan are two separate processes, even though they may run in parallel. A mainstream school should make all reasonable adjustments for a child with autism. Most children start school the September after they turn four, but parents can delay the start date if they think the child is not ready.
There is a form called School open day checklist to help think of what to note down about a school when you have a look around.
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There is also a form called SENCO meeting checklist to help think of what to ask, and to organise your impressions from a SENCO when choosing a school.
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SEN/EHC information
Mobile guide