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[Starchart]

SEN Green Paper consultation - last day!

Wonder how many responses we'll get?

Hopeful though!

Yes there is no point having a non-mainstream education and then lumping everyone else together anyway! I teach children with EBD - who often are better off in mainstream, but sometimes better in small classes or one-to-one.

I think that is an important point.

There seems to be two models in most places. Mainstream or non-mainstream.

Non-mainstream can't possibly have all the resources to meet the needs of all the children for whom mainstream isn't suitable. It's just crazy to suggest they can.

Sorry, cricketballs I didn't phrase myself very well. What I meant was that sometimes children are placed in Mainstream schools who have special needs and they don't receive support, when actually, with the right kind of support, they could cope well in that environment.

I also think that children are often placed in mainstream schools which are ill equipped to deal with them. In such cases, I agree wholeheartedly that mainstream school (in that instance) is not the right place for them.

I think that mainstream schooling for some children becomes increasingly difficult as they move up the school. My neighbour's lad was on the autism spectrum and she wished, in retrospect, that she'd put him through a special school for secondary as he was the butt of some very cruel jokes and was always an outsider. It was harder for her than him in some ways as he didn't realise what was happening a lot of the time.

And I still don't get the green paper contents I'm ashamed to say...

As the mother of son with ASD I totally agree Starchart. He wouldn't have fitted into the Special Schools I've visited but neither did he fit in the mainstream system because most teachers didn't understand his needs or accommodate them and yes he self harmed and yes he attempted suicide. He is the reason I'm a SENCO

DS has ASD and most special schools are inappropriate for him, but he didn't fit in at mainstream either. He goes to an independent special school because it's the only one which can meet his academic needs (he is bright and will do GCSEs). We were fortunate because the LEA have to pay the fees as it's on his statement, but many other parents are funding the fees themselves.