To think that children with special needs should be included in mainstream schools where ever possible

[ReallyTired]

Before I get really stoned, I do work in a special school and I know and I know quite a few children with special needs. The school I work at is very good and the kids make fanastic progress.

I think its right that there are some special schools, for children who really cannot cope socially or academically with mainstream. Even then I think children at special schools/ special units should mix with mainstream children as much as possible.
However I think its a mistake to think that special schools are a pancera for everything wrong in state state education.

Children who attend special schools often spend quite a long time travelling to school. Their course choices at keystage 4 are often limited because a special school is very small. The very small number of children can make it hard to find a good friend. Especially for girls who are often out numbered by boys.

I think that for inclusion to work there has to be more than just extra funding. Secondary schools need to be smaller. Somehow schools need to achieve a more human scale, prehaps by splitting larger secondary schools into smaller units. Maybe we should have middle schools like Bedfordshire.

There are children like young carers or children in local authority care who get forgotten about. When you get to know an individual child you realise that they aren't a monster, in fact they are just like your child. Inclusion needs money and resources to work well.

Re the taxi's Yurt I queried this with my LEA as I was horrified at the amount of children at my DS' SN nursery turning up without car seats.

All accompanied by their parent who would then be taken home and be brought back later to collect. One also used to have several DC with her inc few week old on her lap too, no car seat.

Was told that taxi's are expempt from car seat rules.

When was that MS? We had a note about a year ago saying that bus drivers/taxis would refuse to take a child without their car seat. I think that may have been tightened up - it certainly has locally. DS1 has been using transport for about 4 years now and they've always been quite fussy about it.

what kind of switches does she use. dd is moving over to head switches. she has for years battled with hand ones. but at last they have realised with all her extra movement that she has more control with her head than her hands.
I would have thought with your own troubles that you would have been eligible for a powered cahir with atendant controls(even if she isn't deemed able to drive herself iynwim)

What we spend on the boys (have 2 sn kids, 1 changes from high to middle rate DLA in July, other is awaiting decision)

Apart from therapy (£450 X 2 X twice a year, currently on hold due to finances but hoping to get started again in next year)

• Ds1 has trashed his room three times in apst year, each time has required a new bed at least, this time its awaiting a new wardrobe, bed, chest of drawers (ie everything in there)

• DS3's carpet needs replacing due to burn amrks from back along when ds1 stole matches from a shop

• DS1 and DS3 need special diets, both dairy free, plus ds1 is gluten free. The only bread he will eat works out at "2 a loaf thereabout

• The car harness ds3 uses (well not all the time now but we have to keep handy) was £80, reins (same- not always but kept close) £15

• we lost our alst rented house deposit as ds1 trashed it (smashed a wall

Add in absics like me not working due to lack of childcare DS3 can access (I graduated a few months ago, would work when ds4 is 6 months but cant atm) and the costs easily run into thousands.

Even the little things- ds3's habit of chewing t-shirts, or ds1 trashing shoes quickly- really add up

yurt it was in the spring or summer term of 2007, KCC just told me that car seat rules do not apply to taxis. They are normal taxis rather than proper 'transport' vehicles and as the children are pre-school age their own parent/carer accompanies them.

Of all the DC at the SN nursery that come by taxi (about 50%) only 1 uses a car seat.

That's completely dreadful MS! But Kent sound like a bit of a liability all round when it comes to SN.

(DS1 started transport in a taxi - 2 kids plus driver and escort and they were strict about car seats).

MarmadukeScarlet I'm horrified that car seat issues are still going on . It is 17 years since a battered old Vauxhall Viva turned up to take my then 3 year old ds to sn nursery. If they had been involved in an accident while he was sat on the knee of a very buxom escort with a fixed seat belt round the both of them he would almost certainly have been killed. They were carrying 3 other children as well, no parents allowed and certainly not a car seat in sight!

We are also in kent and we provided our own car seat for pre school services because of the same problem. Luckily I got on well with the private taxi firm and they were very obliging

The bus doesnt use booster seats though

I'm REALLY shocked. OUr council can be crap, but they are very anal about car seats (as they should be). I was given one a few weeks before ds1 started transport (in a taxi) and told how important it was that it went everywhere with him etc. It comes home with us now during holidays but otherwise lives on the bus.

I actually feel really crap now for not insisting she takes a booster seat into school i know for a fact though that they would forget to send in home etc

Well exactly - they probably would and they're too expensive to keep losing. Think you could kick off big time with the council though, - is there a parents group that would do it? Local papers etc? I'm genuinely shocked (and you know I expect councils to be crap).

We have to send in our child's weight each year and height so they can make sure they have the correct car/booster seat.

Have only read OP.

I think inclusion in main stream is a good thing as long as the child can cope. With regard to that, I think a lot of SN kids could do with a 'shadow' to help them through main stream school and there aren't enough of them. Our school has a number of kids who could do with a bit of one to one help.

SN schools are not a universal panacea, and ultimately a lot of kids lose out and those in the main stream should learn at least a degree of tolerance and understanding of other's problems, and how to help.

Riven at dd's abbual review our lea transport services send in a letter asking whether the child still requires transport This is a sld/pmld school

I am frightened they will suggest they all have bus passes instead or something equally ludicrous. They only have one escort per bus load of children aswell, which i have complained about before

Falls on deaf ears I am afraid

annual, not abbual

Can I just add aswell, my child loses nothing by going to special school and gains everything. The transport services are shit though hth

One escort? We have 2.

Honestly I just assumed there would be national standards for this. There MUST be.

Well in our last county they had THREE escorts on the bus. They have children who have massive seizures on the bus too. Ridiculous

I doubt there would be national standards as they would be following them wouldnt they?

Then they even had the gall to send out a survey to the house asking how they could reduce the cost of the transport services. I replied saying I thought they ought to be spending more

I am sorry to go on aswell BUT there wasa child who has recently had tendon surgery and is in full cast on both legs and the lea was suppossed to rearrange appropriate transport for him as the bus couldnt accomdate him anymore and the escort had too many children as he would take up alot of room (obviopusly). LEA failed to do this so the mother insisted he went on the normal bus so that the school and everyone else would complain so they would arrange it quicker. cant really blame the mum but fgs.

It worries me what would happen if they had an accident. I mean it isnt up to the bus driver to deal with the children either (though I know very well he does)