Many parents of children on the autism spectrum have difficulties finding the right school. They can also be faced with making the decision about whether a mainstream or special school is best for their child.
The reasons for these difficulties can be:
- your local authority (LA) may not provide the type of educational provision you would like for your child
- you may disagree with your LA about which is the best school for your child
- your child may not have, or need, a statement of special educational needs. Children usually need a statement to access a placement at a special school, so those without statements may find that their choices are more limited. See the ‘Statements’ section for more information.
Your LA only has a duty to provide an ‘adequate’ education for your child – it does not have to provide the best education. However, they are obliged to offer you information about schools that are available locally and to explain their decision about where they have decided to place your child.
The following is a guide to the different types of school available and how you can decide which is the most appropriate. Everyone on the autism spectrum is different and each family’s circumstances will be different, so this is not intended to be a definitive guide to making the right decision. However, we hope it will answer some questions you may have.
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