Wouldn't it be *such* a good idea if all schools were like this?

[Blandmum]

primary, secondary and special school all on one site and integtrated

so much better for the kids and much better for the staff. You'd really learn about a range of SEN in this situation, not get fobbed off with a few bloody leaflets. And you could move chidren 'in and out' as and when they needed it.

This is what's going to happen to DS1's school (ms primary) and DS2's school (primary special) in Sept 2008. The two schools are next door to one another atm but they're doing a huge rebuild so that the two can co-locate (I think that's the buzz word ). I just know it's going to benefit both the boys enormously - DS2 with his severe SEN and DS1 with his 'traits'. Wish they'd put a secondary there too!

Thats great, plans have just been announced for our nearest sn school to relocate in the grounds of a ms senior school.
Its great to see it working so well.

They're doing that with a PD school locally- primary, secondary and the PD school all on one site.

Mind yu they're thinking of doing it with ds1's school as well and I am anti!

I was alarmed when I first heard about our local plans (if ds doesn't get on in ms thats where he'll be going).
But apparently each school retains it individual status, leadership, own buildings etc but has greater opportunities for links between the schools.. we'll have to wait & see how it works!

I think it can work well- but depends on the kids. There are quite a few children in ds1's school who can't be included in any meanindgful way- part of the reason I am anti our son's school doing this is because it would involve amalgamation with the other local SLD/PMLD school and they have a very different ethos to ds1's school.

The junior dept at ds1's school does have a ms primary unit.

I can understand why you are anti, speaking to some parents at the school involved (ds2 has only used their preschool outreach so far) they have similar concerns. For them they don't want to change something that works.
The school caters for v complex needs & one mum said she just can't imagine how it will work without a big fence in the middle of the playground
I suppose i'm always the optimist but only time will tell

Where my SN school is we aren't geographically close to any of the other schools in the town but have close links with most of them in some form.

The secondarys join up for PE, drama and some of their students come and help with our primary.

Lots of our primary kids go as part of inclusion to other primaries 1/2-2 days a week.Some of our secondary kids do work experience in the primary schools.OUr whole nursery class joins another schools nursery class once a week.We do loads of join projects with schools.

But there is the idea at the moement we may have to physically intergrate.

My research project at the moment is showing the real advantages of specialist provision (it didn't set out to show that- it's just emerged). Apart from the staff a specil school has specialist facilites- some of which I could not see transferring into a mainstream school. Having experienced mainstream I think the needs of children with complex SN are just too different from those of NT children to integrate meaningfully. One group's needs are not going to be met.

Also if you start combining 3 schools in one they are going to be veryu big schools , and what about the primary feeder schools that aren't onsite?

I do think it could work for MLD & PD, harder for SLD & communication disorders and impossible and pointless for complex SN & PMLD.

Our school (and all the ones in Cumbria) cover everything.

( all SN I mean)

Really? all in one school? how does that work? Ds1's school is SLD/PMLD but they have different units within it. So for each age range there is one class for physically able (ie ASD & LD- mainly ASD) and one for physically chalenged (usually CP). Then separate PMLD classes. The more able children (mainly those with LD's no ASD) go to a unit on a mainstream primary from year 1/2 up.

We only have 80 kids 2-19.8 classes all abilities in a class.secondary is run like a MS with moving between teachers and is split by ability.
KS3 able-Nat curriculum adapted + lifeskills
KS4 able GCSE/ASDAN/Qualification courses + life skills
KS3/4 less able mixed up and then spilt ito 3 groups by personality/ability and they do a life skills curriculum (cooking/cleaning /recycling/showering/fitness/road safety/shopping/cafes etc)

P16 everyone in together but again split by ability depending on topic.Life skill curriculum again but some are aiming for independant/supervised living rather than completly cared for.

one primary school near me has a unit but its not that well thought of compared to the secondary schools, AFAIK no units in the lakes.

I would love to go and look round more schools just to be nosy

The junior school I work at has an ASD resource attached, intended for children who need help to access the mainstream curriculum & it does give a lot of the benefits mentioned in this article ? the mainstream pupils and teachers benefit from the expertise of the resource staff, and the teaching methods and support materials that were initially designed to help the children with ASD cope in the classroom have been found to benefit other children - not only those with SN, but NT children too - they help concentration and enable differentiation as a continuing process . For example the visual timetables & tick lists that were introduced initially for the children with ASD are being introduced for a lot of the younger children as a means of helping them focus on a single task or part of a task at a time.
Also, both the resource teachers take Literacy & Maths groups in the resource rooms, with a mix of resource & mainstream children, which makes the unit seem more a part of the school & the children who use it less ?different?, and several mainstream children join in with the social skills and motor skills sessions where these would help them.

However, experience has shown that those with severe difficulties will still struggle to get any benefit from mainstream, even with this level of support and for these children I think, as gess says their needs are just too different.

Yep that;s it isn't it Attilla- foor children who can access the national curriculum of course its good, for others no, they have different needs and let's serve those properly..... DS1 has so much sensory work done at his school and he benefits from it. I can't see that moving into ms.

We do actually have a sensory room which in theory is available to mainstream children - this doesn't happen all that much as it's really something that needs 1 to 1 time &we just don't have the staff give access to everyone who might benefit.
It is very much in demand after school though as a wind-down for stressed staff - especially at report-writing time....

The plan for our schools is that the special school will be on the ms site but will retain its specialist staff and facilities. There will only be one head though (the current ms head). The two schools will share facilities and there will be more opportunity for integration as appropriate.

Some of the special school staff aren't happy about it though - they prefer things as they are. I couldn't really get them to tell me why, specifically (I tried, believe me!) Maybe for some of the reasons given here.

DS1 is VERY keen - can't wait for his brother to be at the same school as him .

Does the MS head understand the SN school? I would think that a lot don't.