Guest expatinholland Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 My family and I are due to relocate to Perth sometime in the next three months. I have been trying to find out what kind of special needs support I can expect in the local schools. My 7 year old son has Aspergers Syndrome and is currently attending an International School in the Netherlands where he has a learning support assistant in class with him for 50% of the time. Will he be able to get similar support in a non-private educational settling? Are there any websites where I can find out this information? I have been told that I am a bit premature trying to find this information out before we arrive but it is crucial that I try and prepare my son for the move as he suffers from extreme anxiety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tarrync Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 My daughter has Down Syndrome, she is 5 and we had to get a letter confirming her diagnosis. She has started at a fantastic school (a support unit attached to a mainstream primary) she is in a small class of only 12 and seems to love it. Best you contact the school directly, as it depends on your visa class too I think. The support here I believe is very good and close to the UK. I have been happy so far with the provision, but it is early days. There is a good ratio of teachers and support staff, she is at Endeavour School in Port Kennedy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyrob Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Depending on the visa you come out on, it can be costly. My ex-partners son was autistic, and we had to pay the extra costs for the assistance. He was in an educational support centre attached to one of the mainstream schools, in Canning Vale. Was an excellent place though, and the support was first class Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scot01 Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Schools offer a variety of assistance for children with special needs. Government Schools use a programme called Schools Plus to calculate the support and resources allocated to each child with special needs within a school. Under the Disability Discrimination Act all children with a disability are allowed to attend a mainstream school - if they live within the catchment area. If you want a Govt school then have a look at this - www.det.wa.edu.au/inclusiveeducation/detcms/portal/ Schooling in Western Australia Guide for Parents www.det.wa.edu.au/education/parents.asp Schools Plus www.det.wa.edu.au/schoolsplus/detcms/portal/ It may be good to consider a primary school that has a special needs unit attached - not for your son, but the techers there will have additional expertise and may be it coudl be somewhere for him to go and 'chill' if he is having an anxiety attack in a caring enviroment. These are listed here - http://www.det.wa.edu.au/schoolsonline/home.do (got to advanced search). If you want to consider Catholic schools or independent let me know as I know more about them than Govt schools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest expatinholland Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Thanks all for the information it's very helpful and has given me a lot to think about. Yokofiona - I like the idea of my son having somewhere to go and chill out as he gets so anxious sometimes he runs out of the class for the nearest exit. However his learning support assistant can usually tell if he is getting upset and will take him somewhere quiet to let him unwind. If you have information on Independant Schools that would be great too, I have heard that you can expect waiting lists with some of the Independant Schools is that correct? Thanks very much for all your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scot01 Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 It depends on the school re their waiting list. Are you Catholic by any chance? Catholics have their own education department here - all Catholic schools are fee paying. fees are cheaper than some of the other independent schools - about $4,000 a year or less. Class sizes are sometimes bigger but facilities are usually better than Govt schools . They chose their own staff rather than have them sent from the dept like most Govt schools. They will take non Catholics if they have space but you have to put up with all the religious stuff - more in Primary school than high school. Many employ learning support teachers (rare in Govt schools). Several have units attached. Other independent schools have fees ranging from about $3,000 up to $15,000 a year. The Association of Independent schools (AISWA) deals with advising on special needs kids - they have consultants who visit the school. I've looked at their web site though and there is nothing I can see for parents or help re schools that have units. Have you any idea where you might like to live? That would narrow down the search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest expatinholland Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Hi There, We really don't have a preference at the moment, we were rather thinking that we would base ourselves within the catchment area of the school we want? My husband is visiting next week so I'll maybe know a bit more after his visit. Thank you so much for all your help it is greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.