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SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

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Original poster

Special schools

71 replies

Blandmum · 01/02/2006 19:41

I just want to post here to vent a little and to say how much I regret the closure of specila schools

Thanks to MN and the fab people on the SN area I have abetter than average understabnding of SN than most teachers. But today.. Oh boy.

I spent a lesson with a child who is totaly incapable of coping with mainstram. I have a class of 18, no asssitance, many children on the SN regester.

One poor child simply cannot cope. On the ASD spectrum. I followed the IEP to the letter but the child spent the lesson shuttling between my class and the SN facility getting more and more overwhelmed and out of it. The student didn't learn anything, the rest of the class didn't learn anything and I left the lesson an emotional and physical wreck

Inclusion is meaningless if a child cannot cope! What a waste to this poor child!

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FioFio · 02/02/2006 20:25

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getbakainyourjimjams · 02/02/2006 20:26

ha! WQe have metal criss cross fencing as well

FioFio · 02/02/2006 20:27

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getbakainyourjimjams · 02/02/2006 20:28

Ds1 incidentally has been taught to collect the register independently from the office and take it to his class- it was only possible to teach this because of the security of the place- and the fact that of he ran they knew there was a locked door at the end of the corrider (actually not locked- but high handles)

FioFio · 02/02/2006 20:30

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Original poster

Blandmum · 02/02/2006 20:30

Fantastic JJ, and a perfect example of the essential difference between mainstream and special schools. Your ds's needs are at the forefront of the school plan, not tacked on as an after thought

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buzylizy · 02/02/2006 21:31

I was readin this thread as always interested about special schools(my dd goes to one and it is great)
I read the bit about all the locks being a bit dense here but what happens if there is a fire.

hana · 02/02/2006 21:47

in terms of funding - just from a staffing point of view it is much more expensive, teachers are on a SEN allowance which is fairly meaty

getbakainyourjimjams · 02/02/2006 21:59

ahhh that's because they know what they are talking about They actually have training and experience and everything else. I have no idea why anyone works in mainstream, the atmosphere and morale in my son's special school is so different from ms. if I was to go into teaching I'd go straight for special (and not for the salary)

Original poster

Blandmum · 02/02/2006 22:13

Oh, go on, you know why we do it! The big bucks and the masses of holidays

It has its own charms tbh. I've just finised marking some animal poems I set for h/w for a 'bottom set' and you should see the stuff some of these kids came up with....knocked my socks off. Mainstream has its moments....and some of them can be outstanding

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Pixel · 02/02/2006 23:48

We haven't got fencing, we've got a lovely old flint wall and a view across the downs to the sea, so there .

I'm another one who thanks my lucky stars every day that ds got a place in a special school. He is truly thriving and it shines through that the staff have a genuine love for their pupils. When ds said a word the other day ('fish' actually, there's a fishtank in the lobby)his class teacher and even the escort were as excited as I was.

Pixel · 02/02/2006 23:53

God, that sounds like I'm putting down teachers from mainstream schools. I'm really not, it's just that I see what dd's school is like and I know that sending ds there would have broken him. Even with his new found 'confidence' if I ever have to take him inside to pick up dd from drama club or whatever, he is lying on the floor in no time. It's all too daunting for him and he would have simply retreated further into his shell.

geekgrrl · 03/02/2006 07:04

mmmh, sorry but mainstream is really working extremely well for us. Yes, the special school was lovely but the mainstream one is even lovelier. And they all adore dd. Say she's such a positive influence within the school. And they meet her needs completely, something special couldn't manage (her being lumped together with other childern with completely differen disabilities). SO NER!

(Dd wrote her name completely unaided yesterday whilst her TA was tidying some stuff away - it's 'Katarina' so quite a handful for a girl who only started drawing rudimentary smiley faces a couple of months ago - I'm so proud . At special she'd still be painting big splodges on the easle).

Original poster

Blandmum · 03/02/2006 07:11

Oh, horses for courses, for sure. I teach a high funstioning ASDer who is currently getting all A in his science modules. He wonderfully assesssed my subject knowledge recently as 'generaly good'! Fab child! For him MS is working amazingly well, for others it is a nightmare, and with the closure of special schools more and more of them are being sent to MS when it isn't* going to meet their needs

Great news about you dd btw

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JakB · 03/02/2006 09:55

OMG, Pixel, your DS said 'fish'! Amazing. I agree entirely. Mainstream great for some children, totally inappropriate for others. Even our pro-inclusion LEA agreed that mainstream wasn't even an option for DD.

Davros · 03/02/2006 10:53

My LEA also has no intention of closing any special schools and is trying to open more units for children with ASD attached to M/S. It is very hard going for them though as they are going against what the Govt wants and many of the M/S schools don't want the units.....

FioFio · 03/02/2006 12:13

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buzylizy · 03/02/2006 12:55

like I say I was being dense I knew there had to be a way out

onlyjoking9329 · 03/02/2006 20:01

well we get to see things from both sides here DS who has ASD is in mainstream and doing o.k, could do with more than his 7 1/2 hours a week support thou, he has a good group of mates and goes for tea every week to his girlfriends house he is almost 9 and if he were in SN school that DD's go to he would struggle to make friends similar to himself, the three kids with language of his age have a lot of behaviour issues.
my twin girls almost 12 ASD are at SN school, FAB FAB FAB school, they are at last with kids similar to themselves they have friends they go to play at mates houses ect, but i think for my girls the biggest thing SN school has given them is confidence/ self esteem, when they were at main stream, they watched the other kids being able to do stuff that they were not able to do, they were the least able by far, now it's great to see my girls proudly helping the other kids and them feeling happy and proud of themselves is all i want really,
plus i have to say in mainstream i often get the feeling that i should just be grateful for anything they do for my DS and have meet ia few teachers who think SN kids belong in SN schools
on the other hand all the staff at my DD's school are there BECAUSE they want to work witrh kids who have SN.

nikkie · 03/02/2006 20:47

Onlyjoking your kids are getting what is best for them -fantastic
so why can't all schools/authorities do this?

Pixel · 04/02/2006 14:50

Onlyjoking, I got that feeling too. When we were looking at schools for ds we made an appointment to see the SENCO at dd's school just to see what facilities would be available if he had to go there. We were made to feel that she was doing us a huge favour seeing us and we weren't shown round or anything. Ds was with us and she barely glanced at him, let alone tried to speak to him. It was a very depressing experience!

On the other hand, the staff at both the special schools we went to made us all very welcome and were keen to show us everything/answer questions etc. We left them feeling much more cheerful and positive.

Of course, I don't suppose all ms schools are like that. That SENCO was probably just a miserable old bat!

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