Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that NT children miss out in school inclusion policies.

288 replies

empee47 · 06/07/2026 16:45

To think that inclusion policies in primary schools are almost never geared to helping academic, NT children get the best out of their education? They’re almost always designed to help the underdog - not denying this is necessary - but those at the top end of the spectrum don’t get the chance to shine as bright as they might otherwise do.

OP posts:
FirstOneToBlathers · 07/07/2026 17:23

Thechaseison71 · 07/07/2026 16:57

That kid wouldn't be causing hassle for everyone else though.

Due to poor hearing I had to sit front row in class. Didn't affect anyone rlse

My child is well behaved with SEN and not disruptive in class. That's another bugbear of mine, when people assume SEN = bad behaviour (or vice versa!)

There's this phrasing that sen provision is there to help children reach full potential and it can lead to people thinking 'well all children deserve that', which is what I got from the op. But the adjustments my child has are to accommodate a disability so I just get frustrated with that line of thinking. He doesn't have the equivalent of a private tutor, he has recommendations from a paediatrician and speech therapy based on his diagnosis.

Thechaseison71 · 07/07/2026 16:57

FirstOneToBlathers · 07/07/2026 16:43

If a child in your kid's class needed glasses, you wouldn't complain that all of the children with good eyes weren't being given telescopes.

That kid wouldn't be causing hassle for everyone else though.

Due to poor hearing I had to sit front row in class. Didn't affect anyone rlse

Thechaseison71 · 07/07/2026 16:55

Stressedoutmummyof3 · 07/07/2026 16:33

Where do you want those children to go then?

Isolation room? Or if it's a huge amount of kids a spare room where they aren't disturbing others

If they are being disruptive they aren't learning anyway. So remove them to not disturb others

FirstOneToBlathers · 07/07/2026 16:43

If a child in your kid's class needed glasses, you wouldn't complain that all of the children with good eyes weren't being given telescopes.

Stressedoutmummyof3 · 07/07/2026 16:33

Jumbaree · 07/07/2026 08:43

I didn’t mention abilities at all though did I? Any child for whatever reason takes up too much of a teachers time then they’re in the wrong place.

Where do you want those children to go then?

lanthanum · 07/07/2026 16:17

Jumbaree · 06/07/2026 17:22

We really shouldn’t have to be able to pay £30k a year to get an adequate education for a talented child.

What do you mean by "an adequate education"? Very few schools will not deliver an adequate education to their higher achievers. Some will push them more than others, sure, but that doesn't make the others inadequate.

Jamesblonde2 · 07/07/2026 16:10

C0dename · 07/07/2026 16:07

Many ND children are clever.

And?
So they’re worth investing in, no?

Jumbaree · 07/07/2026 16:09

C0dename · 07/07/2026 16:07

Many ND children are clever.

Has PP said they’re not?

C0dename · 07/07/2026 16:07

Jamesblonde2 · 07/07/2026 14:59

Completely agree OP.

The clever ones are the future. They need investing in. They will benefit society the most.

Those less capable, not so much.

Many ND children are clever.

Ablondiebutagoody · 07/07/2026 15:45

DontBuyAnotherBook · 07/07/2026 12:33

My child has SEN and probably needs a 1-1. Highly suspect he won't have anyone when he starts school until they realise the level of disruption caused means they will have no choice.

I wouldn't be surprised. At the start of my final teaching year before I quit, SLT refused to provide the resources that the class had been given the previous year. Things like 1-1s, time out of lessons for a few of the kids, various interventions, bespoke timetables etc. etc. I had to start from scratch and "see how things go". They went to shit.

Jamesblonde2 · 07/07/2026 15:09

DelphiniumBlue · 06/07/2026 17:52

Don't worry, teachers have to demonstrate what they are doing for more able children as well as those with SEN. They are expected to ensure that all children make progress. It's just a little bit difficult when there is only one adult to 30 kids, you can't teach and make sure every child across the range of the abilities can access the lesson and deal with another child's meltdown whilst simultaneously trying to deal with the poo accident on the carpet. Well, you can, but no one is going to make much progress. It's not as if the class is full of 28 NT children who will sit quietly whilst the ND issues are dealt with. In any one class in my ( leafy green suburb) primary school, you'll find maybe one or 2 children with autism, 4-6 with ADHD of varying degrees, one or 2 with GLD ( needing more support to help them learn) 2 or 3 with dyslexia who need additional input for reading and writing tasks, and maybe 5-6 more able children who can help themselves when pointed towards additional resources which will stretch them. In some schools, there are many more children who need additional support.
Some children need more help than others. They don't need equal time- some children are very independent in their learning and pick things up very quickly and can practise at their own speed, getting support from their peers if needed, or looking things up. But some children, even in Y6, can't write a sentence without an adult sitting next to them keeping them on track. These kids have such different needs.
The sad thing is the that funding is so minimal that resources have to be directed to those who need it most. Yes, it would be great to have extra stimulation for the more able, but on the whole they can motivate themselves.

I really think that most people do not get how pared back school funding is.
As an example, I've prepared scaffolded worksheets this week to support some children, but they need to be printed and then glued into their books. So if we are out of printer ink and paper, and there are no glue sticks left, and the new exercise books we need haven't been ordered yet because there is a moratorium on ordering anything because the school is 100k in the red,( we've been told to wait till September for new supplies) how do I make that work?We've had 2 members of staff longterm sick, that has cost over 100k, ( or 3-4 TAs if you want to look at it that way.) There is no money there to pay for the recommendations on EHCPs, that is why schools are not encouraging parents to apply, as it will cost the school money they have not got to comply.
So if this is something you feel strongly about, please contact your MP. Schools need more funding. Soon there will not be enough teachers, they are leaving in droves. The expectations are so unrealistic, nobody is going to want take that on unless something changes.

But, but, but I thought all the VAT on private school fees was going to help with this. Is it not?

You would really think a government would be grateful that non-state schools and private paying parents would remove some of this burden from the state. Wonder why they’re not grateful?

Sounds horrific PP.

Jamesblonde2 · 07/07/2026 14:59

Completely agree OP.

The clever ones are the future. They need investing in. They will benefit society the most.

Those less capable, not so much.

Thechaseison71 · 07/07/2026 14:48

ImImmortalNowBabyDoll · 07/07/2026 14:43

Bright, NT children do not need "inclusion policies" because the entirety of the school system has been designed specifically for them. If they are finding that seeing adjustments made for ND students is making them sparkle less in comparison, then that's a sign that the policies are working to give EVERYONE the opportunity to reach their potential. It might be shocking for you (and them) to find out that the potential of ND children is often equal to or above the potential of their NT classmates.

The problem isn't ND children, it's DISRUPTIVE children With or without special needs.

As many posters have pointed out they were sent out of class for being disruptive in the past

ImImmortalNowBabyDoll · 07/07/2026 14:43

Bright, NT children do not need "inclusion policies" because the entirety of the school system has been designed specifically for them. If they are finding that seeing adjustments made for ND students is making them sparkle less in comparison, then that's a sign that the policies are working to give EVERYONE the opportunity to reach their potential. It might be shocking for you (and them) to find out that the potential of ND children is often equal to or above the potential of their NT classmates.

Maray1967 · 07/07/2026 14:05

ThisOldThang · 06/07/2026 22:02

Were you living and teaching in a socialist experiment such as Islington?

Out in the Shires the older teachers still gave the kids a slap if they dared to square up to them.

Absolutely. I was at high school in the early/ mid 80s. It was a comp in an economically mixed area. No one threw a chair or so
much as a book, as far as I remember. Kids were told to get out of class for having a fit of the giggles.

Pupils who can’t cope with sitting down when told and doing their work need to be supported much better, and that does not mean leaving them in a class of 30
kids and hoping for the best.

RedToothBrush · 07/07/2026 13:28

Speaking to a friend whose son has significant learning issues. She said there were 60 kids with a diagnosis chasing 12 places in our council area for yr7 secondary placements. It's completely nuts.

RedToothBrush · 07/07/2026 13:26

DontBuyAnotherBook · 07/07/2026 13:21

No there should be funding for TAs to watch him or SEN schools. However if there is neither he needs to be in school to learn how to behave and socialise. We have no idea why this child is acting act.

Too much of a "stick these disabled kids into a institution" vibe here.

If the issue is being overwhelmed by being in environment with too much going on in terms of noise and other children, a TA to watch them isn't going to do shit tbh.

There are plenty of kids that DON'T need an institution. They need an appropriate environment. There is this conflation here that not being in mainstream=institution. That's the real issue. There's fuck all in-between that provides a solution between the gap between mainstream and something significantly more.

It doesn't even make financial sense if you put in all the associated costs relating to mental health etc for this particular group of kids who are failed by mainstream.

DontBuyAnotherBook · 07/07/2026 13:21

Jumbaree · 07/07/2026 13:18

Do you think that a child who assaults others should be left next to other children? If so, why? Why should children have to put up with being assaulted?

No there should be funding for TAs to watch him or SEN schools. However if there is neither he needs to be in school to learn how to behave and socialise. We have no idea why this child is acting act.

Too much of a "stick these disabled kids into a institution" vibe here.

Jumbaree · 07/07/2026 13:18

DontBuyAnotherBook · 07/07/2026 13:11

They need to be in an SEN school but that is not the fault of the child. Calling them thugs because they might be struggling to cope isn't nice. Also who is to say with support they will be in prison? You think my son because he can't speak very much will be in prison because he occasionally pushes?

Edited

Do you think that a child who assaults others should be left next to other children? If so, why? Why should children have to put up with being assaulted?

Thechaseison71 · 07/07/2026 13:11

TeenToTwenties · 07/07/2026 12:05

Why not? Selective v non selective.

There's non selective private schools

Tge point is that selective state schools won't put up with disruptive kids. It's not fair on any child to have their education constantly disrupted

DontBuyAnotherBook · 07/07/2026 13:11

Jumbaree · 07/07/2026 12:38

Guilty! I don’t think children whose coping mechanism in mainstream school involves continually punching classmates ought to be ‘included’ in mainstream. So sue me!

They need to be in an SEN school but that is not the fault of the child. Calling them thugs because they might be struggling to cope isn't nice. Also who is to say with support they will be in prison? You think my son because he can't speak very much will be in prison because he occasionally pushes?

RedToothBrush · 07/07/2026 13:02

The only children that get support are borderline children.
Why? Because it's all about the school grades.
There is no benefit to schools to give solidly average kids or achieving kids a diagnosis as far as they are concerned because the ND children ultimately demand more resources than they actually get in a lot of cases.

Bright NT children are not loosing out compared to other children. The bright ND children who NEED support aren't getting it because they are seen as achieving 'well enough'. The average ND kid who are never going to be at a higher level arent getting it because they are seen as achieving 'well enough'.

This isn't right. The whole system is geared only to ND children who are borderline and may go up a level with support. Even the ND kids who are massively behind often get neglected in favour of others.

I've seen so many examples of this at all levels.

TheGreatDownandOut · 07/07/2026 13:02

Jumbaree · 07/07/2026 12:49

here in Scotland we get told that if we exclude kids like this then they’re far more likely to end up in prison which is terrible. The implication being that we’re truly vile people for moaning about our children getting physically assaulted and why can’t we just ‘be kind’. It’s insane. Totally insane! Innocent, well behaved, keen to learn kids are just cannon fodder.

‘Be kind’ literally does mean ‘allow yourself to get punched and don’t complain’
Absolute madness

Jumbaree · 07/07/2026 12:49

Brownwithnopezazz · 07/07/2026 12:45

It’s brain dead obvious that you are right. People are turning their thoughts into pretzels to avoid this truth.

here in Scotland we get told that if we exclude kids like this then they’re far more likely to end up in prison which is terrible. The implication being that we’re truly vile people for moaning about our children getting physically assaulted and why can’t we just ‘be kind’. It’s insane. Totally insane! Innocent, well behaved, keen to learn kids are just cannon fodder.

Brownwithnopezazz · 07/07/2026 12:45

Jumbaree · 07/07/2026 12:38

Guilty! I don’t think children whose coping mechanism in mainstream school involves continually punching classmates ought to be ‘included’ in mainstream. So sue me!

It’s brain dead obvious that you are right. People are turning their thoughts into pretzels to avoid this truth.

Swipe left for the next trending thread