-
UK Government trying to be aspirational for SENs and disabled people but….
Its their free school and Academy rhetoric gone mad along with some nods to parent choice. Very little to cheer those of us committed to inclusion… Very medical model emphasis and strength to the influence of special school educators.
‘Caveats’ ( e.g. an inefficient use of resources’ or incompatible with education of other children with whom the child would be educated) will prove powerful obstacles to parents choosing mainstream for their ‘complex’ son or daughter. Access to a Personal Budget is unlikely to stop these caveats doing their obstructive work. A long way from - who can attend mainstream school? All - All means all!
We are with the ‘23% of respondents (who) argued that parent’s preferences should be met automatically irrespective of other considerations’
Lots of points noone could disagree e.g.
2.18 Parents rightly want to have confidence that the school their child attends is welcoming, involves them fully in their child’s education, has high expectations of what their child can achieve and staff with the knowledge, understanding and skills to meet their child’s individual needs.
Great to see more training being needed for teachers and support staff and for an apparent concern with increased employment and post 19 opportunities. Why barely a mention of person centred planning and values??
Where is the love, inclusion, emotion and belonging in this series of cool feedback responses?
We need fire not good and not so good intentions at this time!
-
sets out a summary of the key responses to the consultation questions in the green paper, current progress and our further plans
-
David Pitonyak reflects on the “work of adolescence” as young people making connections with others who can then become their “second family”, and how this can impact on the lives of young people with disabilities.
-
David Pitonyak reflects on the “work of adolescence” as young people making connections with others who can then become their “second family”, and how this can impact on the lives of young people with disabilities.
……
A fascinating idea - how can we help create the conditions for this second family to develop? Colin
-
sets out a summary of the key responses to the consultation questions in the green paper, current progress and our further plans
-
Special needs children have a right to inclusion
Worrying developments according to Chris and Richard….
Speak out against this outrage!!
Colin
- guardian.co.uk <http://www.guardian.co.uk/>, Tuesday 22 May 2012 21.00
BST
The “next steps” document on special needs education, following the
Queen’s speech, drives a coach and horses through the aspiration to
inclusion (Special needs kids deserve better than a rush to
reform<http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/20/children-special-needs-reform-rush>,
21 May). Parents have the right to choose a mainstream school unless it is
“unsuitable to the child’s ability or SEN” – that is, they have a right
just until some school or local authority tells them they don’t. The right
to mainstream is also said not to apply where it would be “incompatible”
with the education of the other children.
The survival of this nasty and discriminatory proviso utterly contradicts
the document’s new and welcome aim – mentioned 71 times in as many pages –
of tackling the dismal record on employment as disabled children grow up.
Children who are “incompatible” with their peers will become adults who are
“incompatible” with employment of any kind. The government also finds
itself contravening article 24 of the new United
Nations<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/unitednations>charter on the
rights of disabled persons.
*Richard Rieser and Chris Goodey* -
Conference also notes the large majority of respondents to the recent Green
Paper consultation on Disability and SEN did not support the Governments
view that the bias to inclusion should be reversed, and that renewed
attempts to remove special schools from Local Authority control are
undermining their ability to meet special educational needs in their areas.
Conference is concerned that local authority cuts to SEN and disability
services have already had a harmful impact on teacher training and the
provision of resources and specialist support in schools. The planned
transfer of social, health and education budgets to parents and carers
without sufficient advice and guidance will also be an unnecessary pressure
on parents and carers.
Conference further notes with concern that despite the Academies Act (2010)
requiring all academies to be bound by the 2010 Equalities Act and the
Special Education Acts of 1996 and 2001, there is increasing evidence of
academies failing to give ‘due regard’ to this legislation and to their
legal duties, especially for pupils with emotional and behaviour
difficulties and more severe impairments.
Conference welcomes the 2nd year of ring-fencing funding for Local
Authority SEN Support Services in 2012-13 and ensure this continues in
subsequent years and that pressure is put on Local Authorities not to cut
this vital provision.
Conference therefore calls on the government to:
i. Commit to inclusive education for all children as defined in the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
ii. Maintain and build on existing provision for all children with IEPs
and statements of needs;
iii. Invest in school-based and local authority resources and facilities
which would facilitate meaningful inclusion;
iv. Invest in further teacher training in disability awareness,
including statutory training for trainee teachers;
v. Invest in local authority support for families with children with SEN
and disabilities;
vi. Promote disability equality within school communities.
vii. Commit to every child with SEN being taught by a qualified teacher
whether the setting is a special school, mainstream school or additionally
resourced provision;
viii. Scrap plans to measure league tables according to progress against
the English Baccalaureate, which will further emphasize progress in
academic subject to the cost of all else an therefore discourage inclusion
in mainstream schools;
ix. Scrap plans to publish league tables featuring progress through the
‘p’ levels which would include performance targets for the most profoundly
disabled and medically disadvantaged pupils in our schools
x. Enforce the legal duties under the Equalities Act and the 1996 and
2001 SEN Acts on all schools;
xi. In the 20 pathfinder projects in 31 Local Authorities, ensure that
disabled pupils and those with SEN have no diminution of their rights and
provision.
Conference instructs the Executive to:
a) Promote the positive values of inclusive education;
b) Lobby politicians to support inclusive education and reject the
damaging proposals within the Green Paper;
c) Work with the Anti-Academies Alliance to support campaigns and
campaign materials highlighting thje specific arguments to use against
special school academies and free schools;
d) Provide support and information to representatives in school to help
opposed an moves towards the reduction of qualified teachers in special
schools or working with SEN children in mainstream schools or co-located
provision;
e) Give advice to members regarding assessment data for SEN
leaguetables especially where this impacts on teacher workload and publicly
state their opposition to these league tables.
f) Input the content of this motion with supporting evidence to the
Labour Party policy Review on SEN;
g) Publicise this policy widely and provide training courses on its
implementation;
h) Build a campaign with other teaching organisations, trade unions,
parents, school students, disability and voluntary organisations to protect
current inclusive SEN provision;
i) Support members to take industrial action up to and including strike
action to protect jobs and services which support inclusive education and
SEN provision”.
Very Largely carried at NUT Conference 10th April 2012 -
Richard Rieser12 April 11:34
NUT Conference adopt strong policy for Inclusion and against Green Paper
Dear Colleagues and friends. The National Union of Teachers at its Easter
Conference very largely adopted the attached policy. Also below. The Nut is
the largest teachers union in Europe and this is an important motion to be
built upon. Where people are involved in the Pathfinders it calls for NUT
involvement to ensure no diminution of SEN and disability rights. It also
calls for local campaigns to be built to protect inclusive provision. This
will form a firm basis for the Inclusion Matters Unity CConference on 23rd
June. Please feel free to circulate to your networks. -
NUT Policy on Inclusive Education and Special Education Needs
Inclusive education
“Conference reaffirms its commitment to the Special Education
Needs(SEN)/inclusion resolution passed in 2011, and expresses serious
concerns about the Coalition Government’s Green Paper on Children with SEN
and Disabilities, and the damaging impact that this will have on the
principle of inclusive education and SEN provision.
Conference notes that the Green Paper proposes to:
1. “Remove the bias towards inclusion”, therefore denying a child’s
rights to inclusive education as described in the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child;
2. Place increasing numbers of children with SEN and disabilities in
Pupil Referral Units or Special Schools;
3. Remove the categories of School Action and School Action Plus
Individual Education Plans (IEPs), which will deny statutory access to
intervention for the overwhelming majority of SEN and disabled pupils;
4. Restrict the statementing process to the early years of education,
preventing access to statement of needs beyond this early stage;
5. Encourage the setting up of special school academies and free schools;
6. Encourage the use of associate teachers;
7. Work towards a discriminatory system of league tables for children
with SEN in order to drive ‘higher productivity gains and growth for the
economy’.
