Applying For Schools For Children With SEN

Do my child's SEN make any difference to the process of applying for a place at a mainstream school?

Only if they have a statement. Otherwise, it's exactly the same as it is for everybody else. What I would say is if it's a selective mainstream school - and there are a number of grammar schools available - that if your child is taking an entrance exam, make sure of any concessions that apply and tell the school in good time, so that they can have those concessions for the entrance exam, too.

Who makes the final decision about which type of school my child should go to?

The final decision obviously depends. If your child has a statement, it's really down to the local authority to what's named on the statement, which obviously you can appeal against. Otherwise it's down to you if it's the school that you choose - if you're choosing an independent school and they agree to your child going there and you're happy to shell out the fees, then that's great and that's where the child will go. With mainstream schools you can express a preference for a school. It doesn't mean that you're going to get your child into that school, regardless of whether they have special needs or not - it just depends on the whole admissions criteria and how well you fulfill that admissions criteria, and therefore how far up on the list you are.