Article in the Times Ed re SEN provision

[hmb]

There is a very interesting article in the Times Ed Supplement today. Sadly it is not on the web site so I can't link to it.

The article is an interview with Dame Mary Warnock. In it she is very scathing of the level of provision that is given to children with SEN. She says that in framing the 1981 act they were 'absurdly naive'. She believes that statementing has been 'disastrous. It is the major obstacle to good provision. It has ceased to be about what the child needs, and has just become a battle for resources'

She goes on to praise the provision given in special school and says, 'I think that children with mild learning difficulties who are now in mainstream schools have a rather rough time.....they often do not benefit from the education going on around them'

She also says that there are also chldren who find it impossible to fit into school life because they come from homes which cannot allow them to flourish educationaly (she is talking about some childern with EBD at this point).

She finishes with 'we need schools to be so much more tolerant of children who are simply not academic at all. We need a system of small schools from which people can emerg back into the big school if they can. We have to have a system that serves everybody.'

So, ladies, what do you think, what would you do if you ran the system?

I read this and thought of you hmb (well I saw the supplement and thought of you). It was interesting reading about her vision- and how they were't allowed to mention the link between poverty and poor academic achievement.

I suppose the problems are that schools are so under-resourced anyway. I'd be very nervous without ds1's statement. It has been a chance for us to make sure his needs are understood.

For autism I would make sure every child had a one to one helper (AS may not need one to one but still a small ratio) and I would open properly resourced units attached to mainstream schools (mixed age would be fine). This base would have suitably trained teachers. Access to mainstream lessons where possible (and to be encouraged) but the base there as well.

Impossible

Ask me in a few weeks time. DS1 starts school on Tuesday (gulp).

hmb, jimjams - I have spoken to many people about this subject (professionals and not...) My main thing about statementing is that my dd has NO DIAGNOSIS that means there may be nothing wrong with her !!!!!! and this our difficulty on the statementing front

Our SALT even said that a couple of years ago they could have rang up the nursery or school and said our Peewee needed XYZ and that would have sorted out instantly, what a shame ay?? thats what money does isnt it?

It seems to me that there is so much money wasted, and massive frustration and unhappiness caused by the statement system. I can well understand why parents fight tooth and nail for as much funding and support for their children as they can under the present system. Without it the children would sink, unsupported in the system. It is just that all this money is being wasted in endless reports, meetings, hearings and appeals. This money should be going where it is needed, to the children. And that is without going into all the stress and heartache these thing cause families who have enough to cope with.

On a happier note I now have a TA in with me and my SN class. She is terrific and I also have a sixth form mentor coming in, who will be great, especially with the boys. They are a great class, I love teaching them, and now I feel that we will have a chance at addressing their individual needs.

I was interested in the 'ban' on the link between deprivation and underperforming.

I attended a meeting of parents who were asked to address the issues rising out of the recent report about SEN - and primarily mainstream education. The group did include parents whose children were in special schools and mainstream and the stories I heard made me both angry and upset. There are parents who have fought for seven years to get a statement for their child. There are others who were promised all sorts of things and not received any of it, parents like you fio - no real diagnosis so no statement.

Apparently there is a large pot of money to address these issues becoming available and next year there are to be workshops and consultations throughout the country with parents and educators regarding this situation and in response to the report.

we have got a statement eidsvold but it is very wishy-washy IYKWIM