If your child learns differently, there comes a point where you have to make a choice. Do you stay in mainstream school and add support around your child, or do you move to a remedial school where the support is built into every day?
There is no single right answer. Many children do well in mainstream with the right help. Others need a different kind of classroom for a few years before they can show what they are capable of. This guide sets out what each route offers, the questions that help most families decide, and the signs that tell you whether the current plan is working.
Two good routes, suited to different children
What “mainstream with support” usually looks like
Your child stays in their current class and school, and support is added around them. Depending on the school, that might be a learning support teacher who takes small groups, extra lessons or tutoring, private occupational or speech therapy in the afternoons, a facilitator in the classroom, or accommodations such as extra time in tests.
The strengths are clear: your child keeps their friends and routines, and nothing changes at home. The challenge is that the classroom itself stays the same. The pace, the class size and the way lessons are taught are set for the whole group, and support has to fit around them.
What a remedial school offers
A remedial school changes the classroom itself. Classes are smaller, teaching is structured and multisensory, and the pace is planned around how the children in the room learn. Therapy is usually part of the school week rather than an extra appointment, and teachers and therapists work from one plan.
A good remedial school still follows the mainstream curriculum. At Japari, that is CAPS, so children cover the same work as their peers in other schools, with the support they need to master it. The aim is not to keep a child in remedial education. It is to give them the skills and confidence to cope in a mainstream setting later.
Six questions to help you decide
1. Is the pace of the class right for your child?
In a large class, the lesson moves on whether or not every child has understood. Some children keep up with a little extra help. Others need concepts taught more than once, in more than one way, before they stick. Ask your child’s teacher honestly how often your child is still working on yesterday’s lesson when the class has moved on.
2. How much support does your child need, and how often?
One weekly session of reading support is very different from daily help with reading, maths and attention. If your child needs support most of the day, every day, it can be hard to deliver that around a mainstream timetable without your child missing class to receive it.
3. Where will the therapy happen?
If your child sees an occupational therapist or speech therapist, think about the logistics. Afternoon appointments after a full school day mean a tired child, a lot of driving, and therapists who rarely speak to the teacher. When therapy happens at school, during the day, the therapist and teacher can work on the same goals. You can read how this works at Japari on our therapies page.
4. How does your child feel about school?
This one matters as much as marks. A child who is anxious every Sunday night, who says they are “stupid”, or who has stopped trying, is telling you something. Confidence is hard to rebuild once it has gone. Sometimes the main benefit of a change of school is that a child stops comparing themselves with the class and starts noticing their own progress.
5. What does an assessment show?
A psycho-educational assessment by an educational psychologist gives you a picture of your child’s strengths, how they learn best and where they need support. It turns a feeling into information. Share the report with your child’s current school and with any school you visit, and ask each one what they would do with it.
6. What is the plan for high school?
Think a few years ahead. The goal for most families is a confident child who can manage at a mainstream high school. Ask any school you are considering how they prepare children for that step, and what support they give with choosing a high school.
Signs that mainstream with support is working
- Your child’s teacher and support team agree on goals and talk to each other.
- Your child is making steady progress, even if it is slow.
- Your child is mostly happy to go to school and has friends.
- Homework is manageable with reasonable help.
- The support fits into the week without your child missing important lessons.
If most of these are true, staying put with good support may be the right call.
Signs it may be time for a change
- Extra lessons and therapy keep growing, but the gap is not closing.
- Your child is spending more and more time out of class to receive support.
- Confidence is dropping, or school has become a daily battle.
- You are acting as the go-between for teachers, tutors and therapists.
- The school itself suggests that a different setting might suit your child better.
None of these means your child cannot succeed. It means the setting may not be giving them the best chance to.
A step, not a label
Many parents worry that moving to a remedial school is permanent, or that it will hold their child back. It does not need to be either. For some children, a few years in a remedial school is the foundation that makes the rest of their schooling possible. Think of it as choosing the right classroom for this stage, not deciding who your child will be.
How Japari approaches it
Japari School in Parkview has supported children who learn differently since 1966. Classes have a maximum of 15 pupils, every child has an individual education plan, and occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and educational psychology all happen on site. Parents meet the team every term to review progress.
We describe what we offer as a mainstream experience with the necessary support. Children follow CAPS, wear a uniform, play sport and take part in extra murals such as netball, chess and the gardening club. Grades 4 to 7 write Friday cycle tests, and every November our Grade 7s write the Independent Schools’ Mathematics and English shared assessment exams. In Grade 7, families receive guidance in choosing a high school. You can see how learning works in each phase on our school life page.
If you are still unsure, the best next step is to see a classroom at work and ask your questions in person.
Frequently asked questions
Is a remedial school only for children with a diagnosis?
No. Remedial schools support children who learn differently, whether or not they have a formal diagnosis. An assessment helps the school plan, but the decision is about how your child learns best.
Will my child fall behind the mainstream curriculum at a remedial school?
Not if the school follows the mainstream curriculum. Japari follows CAPS, so children cover the same content as their peers, taught in smaller classes with structured support.
Can a child move back into mainstream after a remedial school?
Yes. That is the aim, and a good remedial school plans for that move from the start, so that children arrive at mainstream high school ready to cope.
How do I know if mainstream with support is enough?
Look at progress, confidence and logistics together. If the gap is closing, your child is reasonably happy and the support fits into the school week, it may be enough. If support keeps growing without results, it is worth looking at other options.
Should I get an assessment before deciding?
It helps. A psycho-educational assessment gives you a clear view of your child’s strengths and needs, and gives any school you visit something concrete to respond to.
The clearest way to decide is to watch a lesson. Book a private visit to see a Japari classroom at work, or read how to apply for 2027.