Hi-vis vests for SEN kids in playground. Anyone else uneasy?

[sickofsocalledexperts]

I have now heard of at least two schools where the kids with SEN are put in hi-vis vests at playtime, so the staff member can easily see them and "check they are ok". Does anyone else find this odd? Surely some kids wearing these vests must feel rather singled out? Or is it just me and it is a sensible move in a busy mainstream playground?

[TheFirstOfHerName]

The idea of this makes me very uncomfortable. Not very inclusive, is it?

[sickofsocalledexperts]

No, in fact it is quite literally discriminatory. It is like going back in time, to the dunce's hat or something

[sickofsocalledexperts]

I actually thought it was a joke when someone told me this, in fact two people, but no apparently they are in yellow vests

[theDudesmummy]

Absolutely not appropriate!

[sickofsocalledexperts]

I can imagine my very hf DSD would have felt mortified to have been made to stand out like this in the playground

[coppertop]

I'd like to know what they say when the children ask why they have to wear the vests.

Mine would have hated it.

[Ineedmorepatience]

I have seen it in a resource base within a mainstream school.

It didnt sit well when I first saw it but the reasons for it were all about keeping the children safe and ensuring that everyone would recognise the children who all have communication difficulties.

There are quite a lot of children in the base so never just one or two children in vests, oh and the rescoure base staff wear them on the playground too.

Still not entirely sure I feel comfortable with it though

[BetteDavispies]

My ds hates feeling different so being put in a bright vest and getting attention be awful :(

[strawberryshoes]

WTAF no way. Makes me think of Jews having to wear the Star of David during the Nazi era.

[fairgame]

They used to make my DS wear his when he was in ms. They lied and said a small group of kids wore them but it was just DS. He realised he was different and refused to wear it in the end.
As if he didn't stand out enough already

[salondon]

My 5 yr old who isn't high functioning and won't be bothered might benefit from it. However, having a few more staff members should be a better solution surely

[uggerthebugger]

Sounds like a great idea. Why not extend it out further?

Maybe they could put special symbols on the sleeves of the kids for whom English is an additional language. That way the teacher on breaktime duty knows who to shout louder at during breaktime. For even better differentiation, you could use different symbols for each ethnic group.

And it's always difficult for the busy SMSA to keep an eye on the early years kids who have problems reaching the toilet in time. Why not make it easy to remember who they are by attaching a giant inflatable turd to their right wrist? Available in all good joke shops at £3 per piece, or £75 in the inclusion section of most good school equipment catalogues.

And as a parent, I always find it hard to work out exactly which members of a mainstream school's senior leadership team will always swallow any old bollocks masquerading as SEN CPD, delivered by a caring consultant carrot for £2,000 per day. Perhaps they could wear the hi-vis instead?

[uggerthebugger]

Seriously. This is not fucking hard.

[Ineedmorepatience]

Yes ugger but lets be honest....

Inclusion just isnt working in many, many MS schools is it!!

Many schools dont even really understand what it means!!

[uggerthebugger]

Oops, sorry - I meant that understanding what inclusion is shouldn't be that hard. Putting it into practice in mainstream obviously is hard, given current mindsets and budgets. I thank the good Lord every day that my two are out of mainstream....

...but this is a case where they haven't even got the first fucking clue what inclusion is.

[2tirednot2fight]

Or they have no intention of making inclusion work and nor do they wish to respect children's rights . If this were happening near me I wouldn't keep quiet that's for sure

[MooMummyMoo]

I think it's awful. How do people think of these things and not see the bigger picture? Makes me very sad.

[BlackeyedSusan]

offs...

bangs head on desk.

[Borka]

It's such a lazy approach.

Perhaps it would be a better idea to put the children who bully children with SEN in the hi-vis vests instead.

[snice]

I like the idea of bullies in high vis jackets

[MAKINGPLANSWITHNIGEL]

Disgusted , the school should be providing more staff and it is their responsibility to do this, not 'highlight' children because of their disability/SEN . Does anyone else find that when considering disability individual rights are being dwindled down by schools and those in power?

[MAKINGPLANSWITHNIGEL]

Excellent !! then they can also tattoo the parents who stand up for their children with "I have a disabled child "and also tatoo parents who ignore the latest 'institutional' craze. with 'bugger off'. It seems the madmen are officially running the school maybe they should get a high vis jacket so we can identify all of them. Oh well, back to draconian rule and the selection process begins...

[ouryve]

I can understand why they do it, but they might as well stick a big placard on the child, too.

Mine have always had some sort of bright outerwear, so they're easy for their own TA's, and others, to keep track of, without having to hover. DS2's current weather wear is a mustard yellow cagoule. If it's particularly soggy, he also has bright green wellies, which are handy on warmer wet days, too.

But the only kids in bright coloured tops given out by school, are the year 6 playground mentors/befrienders, who have red fleeces to distinguish them from the blue that other kids are wearing.