Will we get a place at a school that is best able to serve my child’s special / additional educational needs (SEN)?

If your child has a statement of SEN, the child's caseworker will discuss secondary school choices with you at your child's Year 5 Review. The caseworker will offer you information about schools where possible, and will help you to visit any that interest you, ahead of choosing the school you want your child to attend.

If the caseworker needs help to answer your questions about schools, he/she will refer you to a Choice Adviser, and you can always ask for the help yourself if you feel you need it.

When you decide on your choice of maintained school, be it in Manchester or a neighbouring local authority, the local authority will liaise with the school and the school will be named on your child's statement. As children with statements of SEN have first priority for places, your child will be given a place in your first choice of school provided the school is suitable and an efficient use of the LA's resources..

If your child does not have a statement of SEN, but does have additional educational needs, they will transfer to a mainstream secondary school in exactly the same way as other children. All secondary schools have provision for children with special educational needs (SEN). The primary school will make sure that the new secondary school knows about any difficulties a child has. You can call the Choice Advice hotline for any further information. Choice Advisers work closely with the Parent Partnership Service to give you the advice and support you need.

The helpline for the Parent Partnership Service is 0161 209 8356.