I have yet to meet a MS teacher who welcomes SN kids

[donkeyderby]

I haven't met millions of teachers and TA's, of course, but out of those I do meet socially, none have expressed positive views about the presence of kids with SN in their classes.

Please tell me that some MS schools enjoy having children with special needs in their schools

We've had terrible experiences of mainstream teachers in our county. I work as a supporter with other parents, so I get a lot of feedback about the situation in other schools locally. DD is in SN school now and I wince inwardly every time I hear a parent tell me that they want to see how mainstream goes - I often end up seeing them a few months later asking how they can get a place in SN school.

It's astounding how many teachers have the attitude that ADHD/ASD is a myth/due to parenting etc. I've heard this when working in schools and from the other parents I speak to. Even some of my own friends who are teachers have said this to me. They have described behaviour in their students which scream ASD/sensory issues to me but they seem to have no idea of the impact it has on the student.

It's definitely partly due to lack of training, but often the teachers used to dealing with challenging behaviour in general and assume that all difficult behaviour is down to the same reason.

Are teachers worse now than they used to be thirty years ago?

Thirty years ago many SENs that are known about today were not recognised Lucinda or were only just getting recognition.

I was in MS school all through, and my teachers were OK. They'd take my sight into consideration when needed, but knew how to push my to get the best out of me and made sure I never saw it as a barrier.

Uni have been great as well, but college, strangely enough wasn't good. There'd been a student who'd done the courses I was doing, with basically the same list of sight problems as I have.

I got a lot of "you shouldn't be having trouble with this, X never did and she was the same as you." I am a different person and different people struggle with different things, you fools!

Uni have been great, to the point of sending staff who teach me or see me a lot on disability awareness training.

30 years ago there was no such thing as a statement, any child with a sen went to sn school. It was rare to see a child with any kind of additional need in ms.

Shepardess - when you get attitudes like that in schools are they only from one teacher within the school or is it all of them? I am just wondering how much impact the head's view on it has on the school.

You would hope that if it was just one teacher then the head would stamp down on such opinions. However, if the head is not sympathetic then there isn't much hope, is there?

DD2's mainstream reception teacher has been great. She is very willing to take advice, listens to my views and what is most important tries incredibly hard to meet Dd2's needs. I'm not foolish enough to think that it will always be plain sailing, but thus far have been very pleased. I know this isn't the case everywhere and when I was visiting schools to choose one for dd I was shocked that so many clearly didn't want dd2. I think like everyone says there are good and bad teachers as well as some who have received very little training in the complex needs they are now meant to deal with. I am a teacher and am a better one for being a parent of two sn children. However I have had very little formal training in how to teach children with ASD, ADHD or any other complex disorder. I also know that many children with SEN on school action or action plus are allocated virtually no additional funds to meet their needs. They rarely have the TA support they need. I know that if my dd2 did not have full time 1:1 support the teacher would have no chance of meeting her needs, however, willing she may be.

Been watching this thread with interest, as am at the moment going through statementing/school choice, I agree there are good and bad in all professions, but I do feel that in our case the Head set the tone, she (In direct contrast to the professionals who assessed him, most of whom knew him quite well) decided that he didn't have these needs, that she would only accept him if the statement was changed, and that I had 'gone behind her back to train her staff'. (when they had asked me for info and training and were pleased when I made suggestions for how to get more support.)

I think perhaps part of the issue can be that it makes you vunerable to say 'I don't know, I have'nt come across that before' and maybe that's what is stopping some teachers developing their work with SN kids?

I do know, personally and professionally some amazing teachers with outstanding commitment and willingness to meet SN kids needs, (I guess it's like social workers too eh?)

DS2's teachers have on the whole been great. In fact all 3 have been, but there is little doubt that they haven't been adequately supported/ trained. It was only at the last annual review they realised the local SN school could be called upon for advice.

I agree that the head sets the tone. Our HT is fab and very passionate about inclusion, whilst understanding that he is different iyswim. This follows on through the teaching staff ime.

I am quite sure there are some truly dreadful teachers when it comes to SEN but mostly (like everything else) it's usually a system failure.

actually my child with sn has had two wonderful years in mainstream with fabulous teachers. The PE and Music specialist were also fabulous.