supporting inclusion, challenging exclusion
news from 2006
January
Government inspectors have said that a Workington school's disability facilities
are very good. Ashfield Junior School's learning difficulties and
disability facilities were inspected by Ofsted which said they had many
outstanding features. Inspector, Michael McDowell said pupils made
good progress and achieved well in relation to their capabilities. The provision
for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities was exceptional,
as were the school's links with other organisations. Headteacher Sam Kidd
said: 'It's something that we as the whole school, staff and governing body,
have worked on over the last few years. We are particularly pleased with
the way it said all children have improved and that it did not just focus
on the academic school life but the all-round developments of the children.'
Workington Times and Star, January 13, 2006
High Court judges will rule in a dispute over whether a child with
a disability should have been excluded from a Westcliff school on several
occasions. His parents, David and Lauren, said the school should
not have excluded their son because his behaviour was caused by his attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. The school
said his behaviour on those occasions had nothing to do with his disorder,
so they still had the right to exclude him. Schools are not allowed to exclude
someone because of his or her disability. A tribunal ruled in the parents'
favour but the school has appealed against the decision. The case, which
is supported by the Disability Rights Commission, will
now come before the High Court in the coming months.
Basildon Echo, January 19, 2006
The headteacher of a school that supports children with learning
difficulties has praised education chiefs who are backing plans to relocate
to a mainstream high school. Suffolk County Council's Cabinet will
decide next month whether to give the green light to public consultations
on moving Thomas Wolsey in Old Norwich Road, Ipswich, to Thurleston
High School, which is less than a mile away in Defoe Road. The
plan is to develop a state of the art building on the same site as Thurleston
and if no objections are raised the school will open in September with the
old Thomas Wolsey building being sold. Nancy McArdle, headteacher at Thomas
Wolsey, which currently has 93 pupils aged three to 19 who have complex
physical needs said: 'It is a fantastic opportunity and would be the fulfilment
of a 30-year-dream. I have always felt there would be so many more possibilities
for our young people if they has closer links with mainstream.'
East Anglian Daily Times, January 27, 2006
Teacher Janet Daley this week warned she would not be silenced
by education chiefs over her concern for the plight of West Somerset's special
needs youngster following a decision to close units dedicated to their needs.
Somerset County Council's executive board has controversially decided that
resources bases at Minehead First and Minehead Middle Schools, at
the West Somerset Community College, Kingsmead Community School and two
others in Taunton and Wellington will be axed by April 2008. Mrs.
Daley, who has run the Minehead First Unit for the past four years and has
received widespread acclaim for its achievements, described the move as
short-sighted and wrong. However Cllr Gloria Cawood, the county's portfolio
holder for education, said the closure of the units would mean that children
with special educational needs across the whole of Somerset would receive
funding in the same way, irrespective of where they lived. The funding would
be allocated on the basis of individual evidence and audited need.
West Somerset Free Press, January 27, 2006
A party was being held today to celebrate the success of a scheme
enabling children with severe learning difficulties and disabilities to
attend mainstream children's centres. Over the past three years,
more than 30 children have made the move through a partnership between Leeds
City Council's Early Years Service and Education Leeds.
Yorkshire Evening Post, January 27, 2006
February
The mother of a young girl who cannot walk, talk, or see has been ordered
by education chiefs to send her daughter to school or face legal action.
Gemma Thompson has a rare genetic disorder, severe epilepsy, vulnerability
to chest infections and is so frail she only breaths twice a minute. But
her mother, Caroline, has been threatened with legal proceedings
unless she sends the ten-year-old to a special school, at least
half an hour's drive away from their home in Dufftown, Aberdeenshire. Her
local authority is insisting Gemma attends school because she will get stimulation
from other children. Her mother has been warned that if she refuses the
case could be referred to a children's hearing. But Thomson, 45, who wants
to care for her daughter at home has accused Abderdeenshire Council of being
heavy-handed and 'politically correct'.
Scotland on Sunday, February 5, 2006
A Basildon school could help plug the teacher shortage crisis if plans
for a £300,000 extension to be used as a teacher training centre are approved.
Chalvedon School, Pitsea, plans a three storey extension to house
student teachers and a hi-tech medical centre for special needs pupils.
The school where Tory leader, David Cameron, launched his education strategy
last month, wants to develop the building in a central courtyard, with the
medical complex on the ground floor and extra classrooms on the upper two
floors. Bob Rymarz, school director of finance and administration, said
the plans were another example of initatives from the 'forward thinking'
school.
Basildon Echo, February 8, 2006
A shake-up of services for children with special needs will go under the
microscope next week. The review in South Tyneside is part of a
more inclusive approach to education, giving children with special
needs a chance to learn in mainstream schools while offering specialist
facilities.
Sunderland Echo, February 9 2006
Parents in some authorities are up to 50 times more likely to start a legal
battle with their local council over special needs provision. A Times Educational
Supplement analysis reveals that the London Borough of Richmond
had the highest rate of special needs appeals of England's 150
local authorities with more than ten for every thousand special needs children
in 2004/5. Warrington and Coventry Councils had rates 50 times lower, with
just 0.2 appeals for every thousand SEN pupils.
Times Educational Supplement, February 10, 2006
Children with special educational needs are too often being placed inappropriately
in mainstream schools, costing them a proper education, a teachers' leader
warned at the weekend. Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) general
secretary, John Carr, said the Government policy of inclusion of
children with special educational needs is strongly supported by the union.
But he said the inclusion policy is not implemented properly, creating false
expectations for parents and sometimes ignoring the educational needs
of pupils.
Irish Examiner, Cork, February 13, 2006
Schools could be closed by a project to improve inclusion in a north council
area with the country's highest proportion of pupils with special educational
needs. A report by the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE)
last year said that children in South Tyneside were 24 times more
likely to be segregated in special schools that the best LEA for including
pupils in mainstream schools. Now South Tyneside Council has drawn
up a report to improve inclusion in mainstream schools which recommends
closing Margaret Sutton School, in South Shields, and Epinay School in Jarrow
and replacing them with a new centre for children with multiple needs. There
are also proposals to close Oakleigh Gardens in Cleadon and Greenfield School
in Hebburn and rebuild a new centre, possibly on the site of a secondary
school in Hebburn.
The Journal, February 13, 2006
Writing in the Times Education Supplement, the chairman of the
Royal National Institute for the Blind, Colin Low, says twice as
many parents appealing to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal
want a special school than those who appeal for mainstream. He argues that
until mainstream is able to meet every child's needs it will be
necessary to keep in place a special school option. In addition
special schools will also be needed for pupils with profound and multiple
learning difficulties who require one-to-one attention from specialist staff.
Times Educational Supplement, February 17, 2006
A city MP today urged county leaders to stop ploughing millions of pounds
into transporting children with special needs to education centres around
the county and invest it in schools. Last year more than £3.2 million was
spent on taxis to transport children who could not be educated at their
local schools. £2.8 million of that went on taking youngsters to
the council's 12 special schools in Norfolk, some travelling across
the entire country. Dr Ian Gibson, Norwich North MP, said the extent of
the travel costs caused concern and suggested the money would be better
spent on providing additional help.
Evening News (Norwich), February 27, 2006
March
Discrimination against people with disabilities is being challenged by
a new campaign. 'Are We taking The Dis?' launched by the Disability
Rights Commission (DRC), aims to highlight the impact of disability
discrimination and features real life stories of disabled people receiving
unfair treatment. It points out how disabled 16-year-olds are twice as likely
to be out of education or work as their non-disabled peers, while disabled
adults are more likely to be out of work or in low paid jobs than non-disabled
people and earn an average of ten per cent. less per hour than non-disabled
people.
Chingford Guardian, March 2, 2006
A public consultation has begun on a blueprint to boost services
for children with special educational needs in Derbyshire. The
move is part of a review by Derbyshire County Council about the way services
are provided to young people with learning difficulties - including sight
and hearing problems and autism. Some of the main ideas include increasing
the number of pupils who get help with special educational needs in mainstream
schools, developing a greater level of specialism at all ten special schools
run by Derbyshire County Council, creating more places in mainstream schools
to help children with autism or physical disabilities, and involving young
people with special educational needs in decisions about their future.
Derbyshire Times, March 16, 2006
A new £37.3m education village will help provide
an inclusive atmosphere for children of all educational abilities and ages,
say council bosses. The Education Village in Darlington brings together
Springfield Primary School, Haughton Community School and special needs
school Beaumont Hill Technology College. It includes sports facilities,
a performance hall and dance and drama studios. Chief Executive, Dame Dela
Smith, said it would provide a unique learning experience. 'What's unique
here is we've got the special needs school in the centre of the village
- not in isolation or at the side. We want it to be an integral part and
not a bolt-on or an add-on.'
Northern Echo, Darlington/South Durham, March 18, 2006
Police are being asked to investigate school staff who stripped
and showered a pupil with cerebral palsy. The 14-year-old was left
in tears after staff at Woodlawn School in Whitley Bay stripped and showered
him after claiming he smelled of urine. As revealed in the Chronicle, education
chiefs have found the youngster a new school after this mum refused to send
him back to Woodlawn. Now as the teenager begins his new school life, his
mum said she is going to report that he was stripped and showered to the
police as a possible assault. A North Tyneside Council spokeswoman said:
'Although a child protection hearing confirmed that no action was
required she is within her rights to pursue this. As legal action
is possible it would be in appropriate to comment further at this time.'
Evening Chronicle, Newcastle, March 22, 2006
Peter Gordon, head of Hazel Court, a special school in Eastbourne on a
mainstream site, says that co-location is the way forward for inclusion
for children with severe learning difficulties. Mr. Gordon, who
also runs a further education unit on the same site, said he believed that
pupils got the best of both worlds. 'We've got specialised staff and superb
facilities here. We've got a hydrotherapy pool and a soft play area but
we have also got access to two dining halls, an assembly hall, sports facilities
and a library. Half our children go to some lessons in mainstream and loads
of their youngsters come over to us every day to help with classes. They
look at what our children achieve and learn to have respect for them. This
is quite a deprived area of Eastbourne but we have never had one incident
of bullying. We share the same uniform and we join in on school trips.'
The Independent (Education), March 23, 2006
A dyslexic man who says he fell through the educational net and was forgotten
today launched a claim for £500,000 damages. Richard
Smith, 27, was of above average intelligence and without any other disability
when he was removed from mainstream school at the age of eight because of
his literacy problems. He was placed in the special school system where
he remained, neither identified or treated, until he was 16, his counsel,
Nicholas Bowen told Judge Seymour QC at London's High Court. Mr
Smith is suing Hampshire County Council and Knowsley Metropolitan District
Council, claiming that he has been 'disabled by the education system itself'.
He argues that he was 'grossly misplaced' by Hampshire County Council for
his education between eight and 15 and that when he moved to Knowsley the
authority missed the opportunity to keep him in education until he was 19
and make good the damage.
PA Newswire, March 28, 2006
Writing in the Scotsman newspaper, Kristina Woolnough questions whether
cutting support for disabled children by reducing hours for learning assistants
at schools in Edinburgh can be considered as contravening the new Additional
Support for Learning Act. She says: 'Edinburgh City Council has
decided to reduce learning assistant hours with no analysis
of need and no room for negotiation. Is this legal under the terms
of the act? Or will school staff, compromised by being in the employ
of the Council, have to adjust their strategies accordingly?'
The Scotsman, March 29, 2006
April
Another parent has joined the call for more support for autistic
children and better training about autism for mainstream school teachers.
Carol Keable sends son Lewis, 13, to a special needs school but hopes to
move him into a mainstream high school. Norfolk's ability to cope with autistic
children was called into question today after another parent claimed the
county's education system had let her down. Carol Keable said she and husband
Duncan had felt totally isolated after their son was diagnosed when he was
six. Although Lewis is at last enjoying life at a special school in north
Norfolk, it was not until the Keables had spent years teaching him at home
that a suitable place became available.
Evening News, Norwich, April 19, 2006
The Disability Rights Commission has said it is satisfied that a Scottish
Council did not behave improperly by allowing an autistic boy to
be taught in a cupboard for seven months. The watchdog began investigating
Dumfries and Galloway Council last week after the boy's
mother made a complaint. The Council said that the boy, aged ten, could
not be accommodated in existing facilities and although it had purchased
a new £50,000 portable classroom, special safety furniture had not
been installed. The boy would be taught there after the Easter break. A
spokeswoman for the DRC said the commission was satisfied that the council
was doing everything it could.
Children Now, April 19, 2006
Andrew Shipley, secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers
has written to Isle of Man Education Minister, David Anderson,
and Education Director, John Cain asking for a comprehensive review
of provision for pupils with social, emotional and behaviour difficulties.
An ATL survey found that 99 per cent. of teachers in England have had dealings
with a disruptive pupil, which Mr Shipley believes is representative, if
not indicative, of the way things are going in Manx schools. He said: 'There
is a need to ensure that disruptive behaviour does not detract from what
goes on in lessons and teachers need to feel supported by senior members
of staff - that when help is needed it will be there.'
Manx Independent, April 21, 2006
Second-level schools will be met with an avalanche of students with special
needs in coming years and they won't have the resources to deal with them,
the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) warned yesterday. A
policy of integrating students with special needs into mainstream primary
schools was introduced in 1997 and these students are now reaching post-primary
schools. However, the union's new assistant general secretary said post-primary
schools were already struggling to provide support to current students.
The National Educational Psychological Service only had 122 educational
psychologists for the entire state. Students faced long delays in getting
assessed by a psychologist and without this assessment, extra resources
could not be granted.
Irish Times, Dublin, April 21, 2006
Irish Education Minister, Mary Hanafin, has warned that she will
introduce regulations, if she has to, to make all schools take their fair
share of children with special needs and learning difficulties.
She told managers and principals of Catholic secondary schools she would
not tolerate the exclusion of such children and non-national children from
any schools. Ms Hanafin, who was speaking at the annual conference of the
Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools (AMCSS), said exclusion
was not happening in fee-paying schools alone. 'I know it is happening in
other schools. In a place where you have two or three schools side by side,
one school could have a majority of special needs and non-national children
which is not fair. It is important to have schools which are inclusive
and resources will be there to support schools which want to support these
children.' The President of the (AMCSS), Paul Meaney, said the
ideal Catholic school was one which was representative of the whole community
and provided opportunities for students of all means and backgrounds. But
he emphasised society would have to provide the tools and the resources
to effectively cater for students with special needs. 'Supports required
include significant improvements in the teaching and other support services
given to schools, a huge improvement in the National Educational Psychology
Service, the provision for quality in-service staff and new partnerships
with professionals in the health service,' he said.
Irish Examiner, Cork, April 28, 2006
May
Schools should be legally obliged to take in pupils with special educational
needs, the Teachers' Union of Ireland suggested yesterday.
Assistant general secretary, John MacGabhann, said every pupil had
the right to attend a school in their own locality with their friends and
siblings. But too many schools were either covertly or overtly
avoiding enrolling some pupils with special educational needs, sometimes
claiming not to have the resources to cope. Mr MacGabhann said the National
Council for Special Education had legal powers to designate schools for
individual pupils and should use those powers. The designated schools should
then be given the resources to be able to meet the student's needs.
Irish Independent, Dublin, May 9, 2006
More Oxfordshire primary schools are crammed into 'nightmare' classes
of 36 or above than any other South East authority, according to
Government figures. Bob Martyn, spokesman for the Oxfordshire Association
of Teachers and Lecturers said: 'Class sizes have been creeping
back up. On top of that, teachers have an increased number of children with
special needs and their teaching assistants have been taken away to help
provide planning, preparation, and assessment time so they have more behaviour
issues to deal with. It's a nightmare for any teacher to have that sort
of class. Trying to control all these different groups at once and seeing
every child has got work at the right level - that's the sort of thing that
makes teachers burn out with stress.'
Oxford Mail, May 12, 2006
The parents of an 11-year-old boy who cannot read or write will today go
to the High Court in the hope of forcing an East Anglian Council to pay
for their son to attend a private special school. Emma Jones and
her husband, Ian, the chaplain at Wymondham College, believe their son,
Evan, needs specialist teaching in a £19,000 year special school in
Suffolk to overcome his severe dyslexia,dyspraxia and behaviour problems.
But Norfolk County Council believes that Evan should be
taught - with extra support - in a mainstream village primary. After a series
of independent tribunal hearings which ruled in the council's favour, Mr.
and Mrs. Jones will today ask the High Court in London to review how Evan's
case was handled.
Eastern Daily Press, May 12, 2006
Mainstream teachers are now regularly doing dangerous and unpleasant tasks
such as cleaning out tracheotomy tubes and changing nappies. A report publish
this week said teachers are being asked to work 'above and beyond
the call of duty' because schools lack the resources to support
children with the severe special needs. Huge demands are being placed on
teachers who lack proper training and could be vulnerable to legal action
if something goes wrong, according to the study carried out by Cambridge
University academics for the National Union of Teachers. Problems
are greatest in the most disadvantaged areas where schools often face 'a
critical mass of unmet needs that overwhelm staff and create a downward
spiral of achievement', the report said.
Times Educational Supplement, May 19, 2006
Parents who have children with special educational needs face an uncertain
future with the closure of three Tyneside primary schools.
Gateshead councillors voted to shut Tyne View, Lindisfarne, and Windmill
Hills schools in 2007 as part of a bid to cut surplus places. But now parents
who have pupils with special needs at the schools have blasted the Council
for failing to inform them about alternative places. Director of learning
and schools at Gateshead Council, David Mitchell, has given a reassurance
that all parents of SEN children will be consulted individually
about an alternative placement which will best meet their child's
needs.'
Evening Chronicle, Newcastle, May 25, 2006
A specialist school for disabled children is set to move to new £6
million premises. The Thomas Wolsey School, based in Old Norwich
Road, Ipswich, will be built with state of the art buildings in the grounds
of nearby Thurleston High School. News of the move coincided with
Suffolk education experts calling on the county council to rethink its policy
on inclusion following a report from academics on problems in schools when
special needs children were included. However the head of Thomas Wolsey,
Mrs Nancy McArdle, said she was confident that the link-up with Thursleton
would create no such difficulties. 'It's almost the best of both
worlds because pupils will have the opportunity to choose.'
Ipswich Evening Star, May 26, 2006
Conservatives have suffered a setback in their campaign to stop
the closure of 'special' schools. An amendment to the Education
Bill put forward by the party stating that 'no special school shall be closed
by a local education authority without the consent of the secretary of state'
was voted down by 369 votes to 147.
Children Now, May 31, 2006
June
A number of Cambridge University academics say the NUT report on
inclusion undermines the dignity of children and teachers. Writing
in the Times Education Supplement, they say: "A policy of inclusion
is generally understood around the world as part of a human rights agenda.
We in the special needs and inclusion team at the faculty of education,
Cambridge University, support this policy as an integral aspect
of schooling that acknowledges the shared humanity of all learners …
While 'special needs education' is defined as providing something 'additional
to' or 'different from' that which is otherwise available in school, inclusive
education challenges complacency about what is not 'otherwise available'
and calls for new ways of working for the benefit of all."
Times Educational Supplement, June 2, 2006
Hundreds of children with autism and Asperger Syndrome could be condemned
to years of school isolation by a 'watered down' overhaul of special
needs education in Norfolk, it was claimed last night. Campaigners
say a blueprint for change has left out many crucial points that could boost
schooling for youngsters with the two conditions. But education chiefs defended
the consultation document and pledged to continue to improve special needs
provision in the county. The campaigners said that key areas for
success seemed to have been forgotten about in the blueprint. Areas
that needed to be addressed included: lack of accurate and consistent data,
inequality of access to provision, lack of co-ordination and consistency
of support, the need to train all school staff to give them a minimum level
of knowledge, and reducing the need to place pupils in specialist centres
out of the county.
Eastern Daily Press, June 13, 2006
Children in Ryedale with special needs and behaviour difficulties will
soon be getting an improved education package. North Yorkshire County
Council is consulting with the public over the best way to create more local
specialist services. County Councillor Caroline Patmore, executive
member for children and young peoples' services said: 'We are committed
to updating and renewing our special schools so that they are modern
and fit for the 21st century. We are also proposing a whole raft of new
provisions in mainstream schools so that more parents of children with severe
and complex needs, such as autism, can choose high quality mainstream provision
if they wish.'
Malton and Pickering Mercury, June 14, 2006
The resignation of Tony Manwaring, the embattled chief executive
of cerebral palsy charity Scope, was not unexpected. For the past
12 months, rumours have been circulating that he was about to resign or
be sacked. Last week Scope confirmed what had been the subject of a fresh
outbreak of gossip: the man who set out to reform and transform one of Britain's
best known charities had departed. The Press statement said that he had
completed many of the objectives of a three year programme of reform and
renewal. But for many in the world of disability charities this was not
the full story. Rachel Hurst, the founder of Disability Awareness in Action,
claims that Manwaring has upset the 'able-bodied' status quo. 'What he was
trying to do was unique and he has a grasp of disability rights that is
rarely seen in an able-bodied person. As far as I can see, he was
supporting disabled people, rather than providing services they did not
want and that were keeping them on the sidelines of society.'
The Guardian, June 14, 2006
Worried teachers today claimed that they would not be able to cope if hundreds
of special needs children moved to mainstream schools as part of council
plans. Earlier this week the Evening News reported on radical plans that
could mean more youngsters are educated in mainstream schools. Norfolk
County Council is proposing a school-based network of specialist units for
youngsters with a range of problems including autism, hearing and
sight loss and learning difficulties. Education officers hope more parents
will choose mainstream but insist that children will not be forced against
their wishes to integrate into the schools.
Evening News, Norwich, June 22, 2006
A school forced to fight a three-year battle after suspending a
pupil for spitting in a teacher's face has finally won its case
- at a cost of £100,000 to the taxpayer. The parents of the 17-year-old
boy took action against the comprehensive for sending him home after he
attacked a male teacher. But the Court of Appeal has finally backed the
school's right to exclude the troublemaker. The boy was diagnosed
with Attention Deficit Hyperacitivy Disorder after he was suspended
and the parents took the case to a tribunal, alleging discrimination. The
Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal twice backed the school.
But on each occasion the parents appealed to the High Court and the decisions
were overturned. Then at a third hearing the tribunal backed the parents
and ordered the governors to apologise - so the school appealed to the High
Court. Now that court has overturned the tribunal decision. Mr Justice Crane
said it was defective because the school did not know about the boy's disability
when it suspended him.
Daily Mail, June 24, 2006
Efforts to integrate sign language into day-to-day activities at a Sutton
Coldfield school have been praised in a glowing inspection report from education
watchdog OFSTED. Mere Green Combined School for children aged three
to 11 has been rated as 'good and improving'. Around a third of the 215
pupils have special educational needs, 38 with a statement of special needs.
Twenty-eight are taught in the school's speech and language resource base,
and sign language is used to improve the quality of lessons for all children
including those with communication difficulties. In the report, inspectors
said that academic standards had 'risen sharply' in the last year and that
pupils 'behaved exceptionally well' as a result of 'good care, guidance
and support'.
Sutton Coldfield News, June 30, 2006
Angry parents clashed with council officers at Bedale on Tuesday
over a radical review of the special educational needs service in North
Yorkshire. Senior education officers were repeatedly interrupted
as they tried to explain proposals which could see the number of special
schools in the county reduced from 11 to 6 and more integration of pupils
into mainstream schools. Almost 200 parents of children at Mowbray School,
Bedale, attended a three-hour meeting at which it was claimed the centre,
regarded as highly successful, would suffer under new plans, designed to
be phased in over ten years. The county council insisted it had not launched
a cost-cutting exercise but was responding to Government requirements
to remove education barriers. It said its proposals, involving
an investment of £50m, would offer greater choice to parents of children
with moderate or severe learning difficulties while maintaining opportunities
for pupils with more profound problems.
Darlington and Stockton Times, June 30, 2006
July
The head of Communications and Campaigns for Scope, Louise High, has said
media coverage on the NUT survey of inclusion has fundamentally
misinterpreted its findings. Writing in the editorial of the SEN
Magazine, she says that on close inspection the report reveals there is
no conclusion that inclusive education cannot work, although it isn't working
at present due to a critical lack of investment in resources, training,
and specialist expertise. She describes talk of the 'damage' that inclusion
can cause as 'finding a soft target to blame for society's shameful treatment
of disabled children'. According to Louise High: 'If we could bring together
the right combination of personal support, with a curriculum focussed on
achievement rather than academic attainment, while supporting disabled young
people to be part of their community - we might achieve a system that is
fair for disabled and non-disabled people. I am not saying inclusion is
easy; it isn't. Nor am I saying that it can happen immediately. But we
must set out to achieve it in a realistic way, planning and developing the
real resources it will take to make it work.'
SEN Magazine, July 1, 2006
Many of the 1.5 million children in England with special education needs
are being failed by a system which is 'not fit for purpose', MPs warned
today. The House of Commons Education Select Committee criticised ministers
for sending 'confused' messages over how to teach pupils with special needs.
As a result of this confusion, councils are reportedly closing special schools
leaving children and their parents' frustrated and depressed, the committee
said. And the MPs condemned top state schools for refusing to teach children
with special needs in an attempt to boost their position in the league tables.
The report found there was a 'postcode lottery' for parents trying to find
the best school for children with learning difficulties. 'The special
educational needs system is demonstrably no longer fit for purpose', the
select committee said. 'There is a need to develop a new system
that puts the needs of the child at the centre of provision.'
Evening News Norwich, July 6, 2006
A massive overhaul of provision for youngsters with special educational
needs has been unveiled by county council education chiefs. From
August next year all units in Cheshire's primary schools for pupils with
special educational needs will be shut, and all secondary school departments
offering assistance for those with moderate learning difficulties and emotional
and behavioural difficulties will be closed down. In their place will be
a streamlined alternative, offering special needs units in each locality
rather than at a number of different venues. For pupils with statements
of special educational needs or living with an impairment there will be
more limited options. Eight primary schools will provide education for children
with autism and another eight schools will be lined up to host units for
youngsters with emotional and behaviour difficulties. Meanwhile three primary
schools will have resources to teach those with severe and profound hearing
impairment. And a further 22 junior and infant schools will be identified
for pupils with a spectrum of special needs. Plans are being made for three
secondary schools to take pupils with autism, and one central secondary
school will teach hearing impaired pupils. Each secondary school will be
given funding to create and an 'inclusion resource centre'.
Community News, Macclesfield, July 6, 2006
Hexham Priory School has gained national recognition for its work
integrating pupils with severe learning difficulties into mainstream schools.
It has now been awarded the Leading Aspect Award by the Department for Education
for its inclusion programme. Priory has developed a partnership with mainstream
schools in the district designed to enrich the lives of its pupils. Of its
53 pupils, 17 are dual registered, usually with their local mainstream school.
A report posted on the Leading Aspect Award's website says: 'The inclusion
programme enables youngsters to find and develop their strengths in mainstream
settings, enhance their life skills and extend their social contacts …The
programme benefits the participating schools by enabling mainstream schools
to have greater access to resources, expertise and training for staff in
managing their own children who may exhibit some degree of learning difficulty
or disability'.
Hexham Courant (Web), July 6, 2006
There will be no U-turns, it seems, at Scope. The disability
charity will push ahead with the controversial reforms and financial recovery
plans set in train by former chief executive, Tony Manwaring, who resigned
last month. Jon Sparkes, acting chief executive, will be in charge
for the next 18 months to carry forward the agenda set by Manwaring.
Sparkes says Scope's trustees have given him 'every support' in driving
forward Manwaring's reforms, moving Scope away from institutional care provision
and pushing for disabled people to go into mainstream education and accommodation.
The Guardian, July 12, 2006
August
Children with special educational needs (SEN) have a better chance
of developing their academic, personal and social skills in a well-resourced
mainstream school than in any other educational setting, according to ground-breaking
new report. The Ofsted report, published last month, also showed
that while children with SEN could learn well in mainstream and special
schools there was 'more good and outstanding provision in resourced mainstream
schools than elsewhere'. The report singled out high quality specialist
teachers and commitment from school leaders to include all pupils, as keys
to effective provision. But inspectors found fewer pupils with severe or
multiple learning difficulties placed in mainstream schools than other groups,
even where specialist provision was available. And the report said that
pupil referral units - individual schools for pupils with learning difficulties
- were 'the least successful of all settings.'
Disability Now, August 1, 2006
Education and Skills Secretary, Alan Johnson said SEN remains a priority
for the Government. He said Council's spending on SEN had risen
from £2.8billion in 2001/02 to an estimated £4.5 billion in
2006/7, but the government would look at possible further funding
in its spending review, which includes a focus on disabled children. He
said the government 'does not have a policy of closing special schools'
and that inclusion was about 'the quality of children's education …whether
that is a mainstream or a special school.
Disability Now, August 1, 2006
More has to be done for children with special educational needs in our
schools, according to some parents and teachers. Robert Buckland,
the parliamentary spokesman for South Swindon, who has a daughter with special
needs, is hoping to call a meeting later this year with parents to discuss
how providing for pupils with special educational needs can be improved
in schools. Last week the Education Select Committee called for
stronger Government guidelines for councils to end a postcode lottery of
provision. Mr Buckland said: 'Many children with special needs are not being
given a statement of SEN until they are past ten years of age. This is shocking
and unacceptable.' He added: 'It is time for a change. I want to see a system
that puts parents in the centre of the decision making process. We need
to know what the policy is for SEN provision because at the moment there
is no clear policy.'
Swindon Advertiser, August 9, 2006
Teachers lack the training and expertise they need to educate pupils
with autism, creating misery for many of the 90,000 children with the condition,
says the National Autistic Society. A report by the charity says
that more than one in 110 children have autism, yet more than 70 per cent.
of schools are unsatisfied with teacher training for the condition. Less
than a third of parents of children with autism in mainstream are satisfied
with the understanding of the condition at their school. The society said
lack of training meant many staff were unable to adapt their lessons and
materials to suit pupils with autism. This could be one reason
why a quarter of such pupils are excluded.
Times Educational Supplement, August 25, 2006
Some 4,000 pupils have been helped by the Communications Aids Project,
and for many it has meant the chance to remain in mainstream education.
The £20million scheme was set up by the Department of Education and
Skills in 2002 to support councils in providing technology and training
for pupils with communication difficulties. Councils are responsible
for funding assistive technology but the end of the CAP scheme has left
some struggling. John Liddle from AbilityNet, a computing and disability
charity, said: 'CAP supplemented schools and local authorities, it provided
a cushion for them. A big void has been left and people are going to have
to rattle the cage to make sure that funding for assistive technology comes
through.' AbilityNet and ACE Centres, another charity, now set up Local
CAPacity, a service that provides equipment, loans, training, assessment
and advice. East Sussex, West Sussex, Leicester City, Northumberland and
Brighton and Hove Councils have signed up to the scheme.
Times Educational Supplement, August 25, 2006
Parents and teachers of children with special educational needs
have been told they must wait longer to hear about plans which could see
the closure of three Scarborough schools. North Yorkshire county
councillors are to be given more time to discuss reaction to the controversial
proposals which would see Springhead and Woodlands schools demolished to
make way for a new special school on the Woodland site. At the end of last
term there were 86 pupils at Woodlands School and 50 at Springhead - yet
the new school would only have places for 95 pupils. More pupils would be
educated in mainstream schools under the proposal and there is also a possibility
Brompton Hall School would close, with pupils moving to another specially
built school outside the Scarborough area.
Scarborough Evening News, August 23, 2006
September
Rona Tutt, a leading special educational needs expert, warns in a paper
published today that nearly 1.5 million pupils with special needs
are being demoralised by targets, tables and testing regimes that set them
unreachable goals. The former president of the National Association
of Head Teachers, who was awarded the OBE for her work as a special school
head, highlights the conflict between targets and the Government's aim of
an inclusive system where all pupils feel equally valued. The paper, co-written
by Tricia Barthorpe, former head of North Lincolnshire's special needs service,
puts pressure on the Government to overhaul an SEN system which MPs have
described as 'not fit for purpose'.
Times Educational Supplement, September 1, 2006
All publicly funded bodies including those in the education sector will
need new arrangements in place by December 4 to positively promote
disability equality for employees, students and other service users.
Under the new responsibilities colleges and schools must develop disability
equality schemes showing how they intend to meet the requirements of the
new duty and they must also ensure that disabled people are directly
involved in putting together the schemes.
FE Now, September 1, 2006
Education secretary Alan Johnson hailed a new special school in Weymouth
as a model for the rest of the country during a visit yesterday. The Secretary
of State joined Schools Minister and South Dorset MP, Jim Knight, for a
tour of facilities at the new Wyvern School in Dorchester Road. The potential
Labour leadership candidate said that the £6.5 million spent on the
building was worth every penny and was a shining example of how
mainstream and special schools can share the same site. Wyvern
is relocating from its current cramped building to state-of-the art premises
built alongside Wey Valley School and St. Nicholas and St. Laurence School.
After touring the facilities, Mr. Johnson told teachers and pupils assembled
in the new sports hall that Wyvern epitomised what the Government
wanted to do in education - namely co-locations which knitted together great
facilities for children of all needs.
Dorset Echo, September 15, 2006
A multinational American company has been hired to smooth the way for a
controversial new city academy in Islington. Edison Schools has
been hired to transform Islington Green secondary school into a new academy
at its premises in Prebend Street, Angel, which has the City of London and
City University as its £2 million sponsors. But the move has been
attacked by the National Union of Teachers who claim that the company in
America had previously 'kept out' children with special needs at its schools
to boost results. The allegation comes as education ministers have
gone out of their way to insist that the new academy, Islington Green School,
will be completely non-selective. Edison Schools vehemently denied
the claim, maintaining they do not exclude special needs children.
Islington Tribune, September 29, 2006
October
An influential committee of MPs has delivered a stinging rebuke to Alan
Johnson, the Education Secretary, after he refused to make any significant
changes to the provision of special educational needs in England's
primary and secondary schools. He promised to improve training for teaching
staff but ruled out changing the system of assessments and statements, which
has been criticised. The move was in response to a report by the Commons
Education Select committee in July which called for an overhaul of the system
and breaking the link between the assessment of needs and funding. Barry
Sheerman, chairman of the committee, said it was a 'real missed opportunity'.
'Despite clear evidence that the process is not working as it should, the
Government relies on the argument that "no-one has a better alternative".
This is not acceptable. If the system is not working properly it is the
Government's duty to look for a better way forward.'
The Times, October 12, 2006
Campaigners fighting to save two school-based units catering for
some of West Somerset's most vulnerable children were this week forced to
accept defeat. Richard Lindley, the independent adjudicator appointed
to make the final decision on the future of the special educational needs
units at Minehead First School and the West Somerset Community College,
backed Somerset County Council's cost-cutting closure proposals in the face
of overwhelming opposition locally. Mr. Lindley said that with individual
funding allocated to children with special educational needs both
the school and the college were benefiting from 'double funding' which was
why the council argued that for the sake of parity and the most efficient
use of resources the separate funding for the units should be discontinued.
He had been assured that other bases existed within the county which were
funded from within school budgets. Transitional financial arrangements promised
by the Council would allow the school and college to adjust their budgets
and to enable the facilities and human resources to be preserved or refined.
West Somerset Free Press, October 13, 2006
Special needs units at five Gwent schools are threatened with closure
in a council shake-up of services which is leaving parents outraged.
Torfaen Council says the cash saved could be re-invested in a new learning
support service team as well as boosting schools' budgets. It says it is
following guidelines which say local authorities should develop
an 'inclusion strategy' to make sure more children are taught in mainstream
education. A new support team would support staff and special needs
pupils in mainstream classes across the borough if proposals go ahead.
South Wales Argus, October 13, 2006
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists warned yesterday
that speech and language therapy is becoming a 'soft target' for NHS cuts.
The college said that there is a worrying trend emerging among NHS trusts
to cut services to save cash. Norfolk primary care trust has cut funding
for children 'needing essential help with communication', it noted. A total
of 130 children with disabilities in special schools and more than 300 children
attending mainstream schools will be affected.
Morning Star, October 13, 2006
A Channel 4 News investigation has found that disabled children
are being physically restrained in the classroom. And charities
representing children with learning difficulties are now calling for changes
in the government's new Education Bill for England and Wales to put safeguards
in place. There is growing concern at the way children with special needs
are being educated in mainstream schools. Now charities want stronger guidance
about how and when teachers can use force.
Channel 4 News (web), October 18, 2006
Work has begun on a new multi-million pound state-of-the-art school. The
special needs school on the site of the former Meadway School in Tilehurst,
will cost £19.1 million and replaces The Avenue School in Basingstoke
Road, South Reading. The new school which will be fully equipped
with classrooms and special needs facilities is due to be finished by September
2008.
Reading Evening Post, October 27, 2006
Violence or unruly behaviour by pupils has fuelled a rise in the number
of exclusions from secondary schools. Teachers say violent conduct by youngsters
in the classroom has increased as more of their colleagues have reported
cases of sexual misconduct, bullying, damage, assaults against pupils or
threatening behaviour towards adults and pupils. The number of exclusions
from secondary schools has doubled in the past four years in Brighton and
Hove. Louise Davies, a teacher at Falmer High School, Brighton,
and branch secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said
exclusion levels were far too high and children were being failed by the
system. She blamed a Government policy of inclusion which had left children
with special educational needs being taught in mainstream schools.
Argus, Brighton, October 31, 2006
November
The Government has won mixed reviews for its response to a report
on special educational needs by an influential committee of MPs.
The response outlined plans for more training for SEN co-ordinators within
schools, for local authorities on SEN provision and the need for more independence
for officers who provide special needs. But Barry Shearman MP, chairman
of the Education and Skills Select Committee, said he was extremely disappointed
that the Government had failed to properly address issues in the committee's
report publishes in July. Tara Flood, director of the Alliance for Inclusive
Education, said she was 'disappointed but not surprised' about the Government's
call for a range of SEN provision, including 'special' schools, which she
felt was not in line with its inclusion policy.
Disability Now, November 1, 2006
Governors from Bexley schools were brought up to speed this week
on plans to shake-up the borough's provision for special needs pupils.
The proposals could mean more children with special educational needs in
mainstream schools. The Consultation ends on November 15 and if proposals
are agreed the plans could be put into action over the next three years.
KM Extra (Bexley), November 10, 2006
A mother in Bedfordshire has launched a controversial legal action against
a school alleging that her six-year-old daughter was physically restrained
repeatedly by staff at her primary school. Jade Chambers, who understands
language at the level of a child half her age, was held down or 'handled'
at least 25 times by staff over a six week period, according to her mother,
Michelle, who was told nothing about what was happening. Next month Michelle
Chambers will launch a landmark tribunal case when she accuses the local
authority and Heathwood Lower School in Leighton Buzzard of discriminating
against Jade who has special educational needs. In a case which
will reignite the debate around how far teachers should be allowed to use
physical force with children who are misbehaving, the local authority will
say staff did nothing wrong. Force was only used as a last resort, where
necessary, they will argue.
Observer, November 12, 2006
Placing children with special needs in mainstream schools is the norm,
but what happens if the teachers struggle to give them the extra help they
need? The March Foundation based at Dogmersfield, near Oldham, aims
to give schools the support they need. The foundation takes children with
special needs on residential trips. They work on the principle
that by taking children out of their school environment, even for a short
time, it can drastically help with their development and improve self-esteem.
Robert Glossop, co-founder of the charity, said: 'We work to draw out their
individual talents on these trips and they soon realise they can achieve
things they never thought possible before. Self-esteem is one of the main
benefits. They are different people as soon as they get on that mini-bus.'
Aldershot Mail, November 14, 2006
Plans to dramatically reduce the number of special schools in North
Yorkshire are set to go ahead, despite concerns from some parents.
Councillors will be asked to approve plans to close two schools and merge
others cutting the overall number from 11 to seven. The move is part of
a long-term plan to place more children with special needs in mainstream
schools supported by specialist staff. Cynthia Welbourn, director of the
county's children and young people's service said: 'There is not question
of us either forcing children into special schools or mainstream schools'.
She added that the time scales involved would mean no children already in
special schools having to be moved. The Council would review how placements
into mainstream schools were going before're-shaping' of special schools
started. Under the plans 31 primary and secondary schools have been identified
which could cater for children with special needs.
Yorkshire Post, November 15, 2006
All five secondary schools in the Isle of Man will be able to accommodate
students with special needs when a new unit opens at St. Ninian's High School,
Douglas. The unit, part of an extension to St. Ninian's, includes
two good sized classrooms, a multi-sensory area and a life-skills facility.
Derek Norton, deputy head of the DoE's special needs and psychology service
said that the unit would be used flexibly with some pupils being supported
in their subject classes and others requiring more specialist support being
taught within the unit itself.
Isle of Man Examiner, November 28, 2006
December
Disabled children and inclusive education campaigners marched to the headquarters
of the Government's education department demanding to be heard by an education
official. The protest, which was invited inside the lobby of the Department
of Education and Skills, was led by the Alliance for Inclusive Education
and co-incided with a parliamentary debate on the Government's renewed commitment
to a continuum of flexible provision for disabled pupils including separate,
'special' schools. The march involved more than 50 protestors wearing
red t-shirts inscribed with the phrase 'Inclusion Works'. The schools
minister, Lord Adonis, agreed to meet with inclusionist groups at some point
in the future to discuss how to develop the Government's inclusion. strategy.
Disability Now, December 1, 2006
Labour and Conservative politicians clashed last week over the future of
special needs. It comes as both parties put forward proposals to ensure
better provision for children with special needs. Schools Minister,
Lord Adonis, last week announced a new test to ensure 'special' schools
cannot be closed unless better alternatives exist. He also revealed
that mandatory training of schools' special needs co-ordinators would be
piloted next year. But Conservative leader, David Cameron called for a freeze
on 'special' school closures.
Children Now, December 6, 2006
Plans for a massive shake-up of special needs education have caused
outrage among Sutton Coldfield schools and parents. The plans involve
co-locating 'special' schools onto the same site as mainstream schools,
with separate 'special' schools meeting the needs of a 'very small percentage
of children and young people with very complex needs'. Consultation with
parents, staff and school governors is expected to start next year.
Sutton Coldfield Observer, December 8, 2006
A mother who has set up a parents' group fighting proposals to shake-up
Bexley's special needs education says we could be 'sleeping walking to disaster'.
Cheryl Moncrieffe has the support of other parents who are opposed to some
of the changes being proposed by Bexley Council. She says Bexley
Parents Education Group (BexPeg) is alarmed at the plans which could see
more children taught in special units at mainstream schools and places halved
for children with moderate learning difficulties. Cabinet member
for children's services, Cllr. Teresa O'Neill, said that the plans would
take a number of years to implement and overall would result in more specialist
places, not fewer.
KM Extra, Bexley, December 8, 2006
An extra £400m will need to be spent over the next four years
in Ireland to cater for pupils with special educational needs.
The National Council of Special Educational Needs estimates that 18 per
cent of school pupils require some level of special support. The figures
are contained in an action plan for the implementation of the Education
for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004, which underpins the
rights of children with special educational needs to an education.
Evening Herald Dublin, December 19, 2006
Most teachers in mainstream schools are not equipped to help children
with special educational needs, the National Union of Teachers has said.
Only 18 per cent. of teachers surveyed felt confident teaching those with
severe learning difficulties. Schools are now required to promote disability
equality.
The Times, December 22, 2006
A controversial plan to reduce dramatically the number of 'special' schools
has been given the go-ahead by councillors. Under the plan, six
special schools in North Yorkshire will merge to form three and a further
two will close, taking the overall number from 11 to seven. The change is
designed to allow the right facilities to be put in place in mainstream
schools. Council leaders insist no parents will be forced to send
their children to mainstream schools and there will be enough places in
special schools for those who need them.
Yorkshire Post, December 26, 2006
Tens of thousands of bright children in the poorest parts of England and
Wales are being let down by schools that fail to nurture their talent, a
leading government adviser has warned Tony Blair. Sir Cyril Taylor,
chairman of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, said talent was
being wasted and recommended a twenty-fold increase in spending on very
able children to £100m. He said children who were exceptionally
gifted had a special educational need and deserved extra support in the
same way as those with learning and physical difficulties. 'Every child
is different. There should be equal opportunities for all, not a lowest
common denominator approach.'
The Observer, December 31, 2006