Ok, my son is going to be 15 this year and he goes to Southchurch High. This review is MY opinion not his. As I said he is nearly 15. If he had his way and could plan his own day it would look something like this:
2:30pm wake up
2:35pm eat a huge meal that consists of meat, donuts, and more meat
3pm go back to bed
10pm watch tv, play computer games, hug his pets
2am go back to bed
School and bathing would have no place!
Unfortunately, for him he needs to go to school. At the time of applying for secondary schools, the only one in our catchment was Futures Community College. It had the most awful reputation and no parent wanted to send their child there. So, you can imagine our devastation when we were told that despite not even applying for this school he got a place there and not in any of the other schools that we had actually applied for! Our upset was magnified by the fact that he has Special Educational Needs. We were convinced that FCC were not at all able to fulfill his needs. We are so happy to say that we were completely wrong!
A new head teacher had been brought in. This head, has a track record of going into failing schools and turning them around. We see this happening in front of our eyes. The name of the school has been changed to Southchurch High to help with the fresh start. Some parts of the uniform were changed to help with the new image. Much more importantly, new staff has been brought in. The head teacher has not taken in just anyone, but has searched far and wide for good quality teaching staff that are willing to take on challenging roles and stay in those roles long term. This has had fantastic results already. Southchurch High is a small school with long term staff. This means that your child is not lost, or feeling swamped while having teachers that do not really know them. So many different members of staff know our son extremely well. This is especially important if your child has Special Educational Needs (SENCO/SEND)
There are a lot of different clubs available that are cared for really well by staff who volunteer their time. Some are really practical. There is a handwriting club for students whose handwriting isn’t legible. Having good handwriting can make a huge difference to those marking your children’s work. So in the long run, this one club can make a difference between your child getting low or good grades GCSE level.
Another practical club, is homework club. If like me it is a nightmare trying to get your child to do homework when they get home, then this is the club to get your child in to! There is staff on hand to support your child as they do their ‘homework’ at school. Then when they get home you can relax as a family without having that pressure and a showdown with your kid that ends in shouting and doors slamming!
Although, our son is not keen on going to school in general we are really pleased that we gave this school a go. In fact, we believe that this school has been better suited to his needs than the others that we applied for.
If your child has Special Educational Needs that are not severe enough to warrant a Care Plan then please read my review of the SEND department at Southchurch High that I will be posting soon.