To think there needs to be a public inquiry into child development

[MaryMaryVeryContrary]

It really seems like we have a looming societal crisis in terms of child development and therefore the quality of the public in 10-20 years time. Experienced teachers across the board seem to be reporting an overwhelming increase in delayed, aggressive and disruptive children. I’m extremely worried about how this will impact society when they become adults - it seems (as a guess) at least a tenth of children will be incapable of work of any kind, and many more will need copious amounts of support to live any kind of responsible life.

AIBU to think we need an urgent public inquiry into this and what is going on? It seems to be the elephant in the room and anybody who tries to discuss it is shouted down.

I’m sure some of it is due to cuts in services but surely that can’t account for it all - it’s very sudden and extremely alarming.

Ok I have discovered that SEN spending has actually increased by 60% since 2019 and now stands at £10 billion a year. And that’s under the tight-fisted Tories. So there has been a massive rise surely?

Makes you wonder what it's been spent on because it's not more SEN provision schools, alternative provision in classrooms, or post diagnostic care.

A significant amount goes on transport as children are having to be taxied to far flung schools as no local provision.
Some specialist placements can be extremely costly if private sector is only option.
I recall at a presentation at our local authority was something like 80% of budget is on SEN and adult social care (hence no budget for potholes, libraries etc)

There has been a lot of visible spending, there’s several purpose built schools and autism units that sit within the mainstream school site that I have had some professional involvement in funded by the Local Authority and ran by Academy Trusts. I can think of half atleast dozen in the last 3 years in the county I work and they’re off the top of my head. The issue is they still don’t have capacity for all the children that need it. Also that these units have to accommodate a range of needs - autism units aren’t always especially helpful to children with varying diagnoses.

Even if they are local, they can still get transport - I know of parents getting transport who live within a mile of school as their child’s behaviour was too challenging for the parent and so they qualified. They also incentivise parents to make their own way to school with their children and at one point (I don’t know if it’s still the case) were giving parents £3k per annum to make their own travel arrangements as this was still a saving on school transport. Those that use taxis because for whatever reason the buses aren’t available also have chaperones. Now if you think £3k per year, per child, was a saving to the LA where children used mini buses imagine how much a twice daily taxi and chaperone costs.

If you look at Local Authority budgets the biggest spend is SEN provision, not just schooling but respite, shared care and residential accommodation. A child with high needs in residential accommodation can cost upwards of £100k per year and that’s before all their other entitlements.

See this is what I don’t understand. So many mainstream schools putting up purpose build buildings to accommodate SEN needs. Why not just repurpose whole schools and create more special needs schools in their place. The inclusion experiment hasn’t worked so why not admit it.

@cassgate In a nearby town they have done that. It was a failed secondary built 15 yrs ago that closed after several inadequate inspections and only 50 pupils on roll. A SEN school has moved from a nearby town into it and expanded provision. Not many towns will have newbuild disused schools though.

Absolutely! That would be far better for everyone. How can teachers teach if there is violence going on in the classroom that means even the assistants hired to help the children are being physically injured?

It makes children's lives a misery, too wondering when the next outburst will be.
Far better to have dedicated schools that are set up to handle aggressive /disruptive behaviours.

Because it’s more expensive to fit out an old school for SEN than it is to build a purpose built one. The SEN purpose built schools I have visited are pretty impressive.

The units are segregated but the idea is the pupils mix with mainstream atleast at break times etc. Some of the intention behind that is to learn life skills. The children who really can't mix should theoretically all be in the exclusively special schools. Some children will spend part of their time at the special schools and some time at the units.

Tbh it’s all about having space in the provision most appropriate- rather than them being ill thought out. The issue lies when you have to get the provision that has space rather than which is most appropriate to the needs of the child.

My point is the spending is definitely there - but the demand is increasingly so rapidly the supply isn’t keeping up.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68665303.amp

This article explains how transport spending has increased significantly.

If it was about teaching life skills it would be fine but in my school alone there are at least 6 children within KS1 who are extreme special needs. We have 5 joining in September who already have EHCPs with a further 3 with needs as yet unconfirmed. Their needs vary of course but they cannot access the main stream curriculum at all. We are a 1 form entry school that was build in the 70’s as a village school. Originally there were just 4 classrooms, reception, year1/2, 3/4 and 5/6, with about 100 pupils across the whole school. Over the years the school has put up stud walls to create separate classrooms for all year groups but they are really small spaces. We are now double the size that was originally intended for the space. This in addition to the special needs and extra adults needed to support such needs we are at breaking point. The other children are not getting the education they need and deserve because we do not have the space to accommodate everyone’s needs both special or otherwise. Multiple this across all schools across the country and this is why the great inclusion experiment hasn’t worked and we need to repurpose whole buildings no matter how much it costs because if we don’t we are failing all children not just those with special needs.

Not sure if this has been mentioned but a huge problem is what happens to these pupils when they leave school. Social services are struggling already and the provision for post school options is not in place. Thinking further ahead provision is needed for residential care when parents are too old to look after their young adults with severe learning difficulties.

There seems more and more input and control and advice from professionals/agencies/nanny state then ever before and that is why our kids are fucked up. Not to mention social media and you tuber. Both parent's being forced to go out to work, children being put into nursery for long hours at a young age. Bring back the family and community.

There definitely seems to be a rise in non-verbal ASD. I know several DC with this and didn’t know any when I was a child.

Why would you know them though? They wouldn’t have been at school with you.

Is there a rise or are you seeing more nonverbal children because they are no longer being shipped off to institutions and forgotten about?