Inclusive Education for All #13
13 April 2022 by Chris Barnes, Inclusive Education Officer, Down Syndrome International
For a more detailed explanation of what special educational needs are, please refer back to week 5 of this awareness campaign.
‘Special’ or ‘specialised’ education is a response to these needs and can be provided, dependent on individual circumstances and local offer, in settings separate to the mainstream, in units within the mainstream setting, or – to some degree – within the mainstream classroom, alongside peers.
According to the recent UK government SEND review:
In 2021, 15.8% of all school children (1.4 million) were identified with Special Educational Needs. 82% with SEN were in state funded mainstream schools and 10% in specialised settings (8% in other).
12.2% of all children were identified as requiring SEN support. *SEN support can be defined in part as: Extra help from a teacher or support teacher, alterations to resources and activities as required, an individual education plan, regular observations, and more frequent consultations with parents.
Amongst pupils on SEN support in state-funded primary schools, the most common primary type of need in 2021 was Speech, Language and Communication Needs (34%). In secondary schools, this was Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) (22%).
A further 3.7% of all pupils had an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP), receiving more support than available through SEN Support. This is an increase on recent years, from 2.8% in 2016.
Amongst pupils with an EHCP, the most common primary type of need in 2021 was Autistic Spectrum Disorder (30%).
50% of pupils with EHCPs were in state-funded mainstream schools, 41% in state-funded special schools, 7% in independent schools, and 1% in state place-funded alternative provision.
Watch a video from André Imich – SEND & Disability advisor, Department for Education – in response to the question above.
Recent trends show an increase in demand for special school places, SEN support in the mainstream, and EHCPs.
Depending on who you speak to, ‘Special schools are receiving more applications from learners with ‘lower’ levels of need’ and ‘Mainstream schools are being expected to cater for ‘higher’ levels of need’.
For families of children with Moderate Learning Difficulties, (which can often, but not always, include learners with Down syndrome) a specialised setting can be an appealing or necessary option. If local mainstream schools are unenthusiastic, wary, or say they cannot meet the child’s needs, parents can naturally feel a special school is the only option.
School mindsets such as these are part of a cycle which is hard to break.
School anxiety filters to parents, who in turn seek a specialist placement, resulting in more demand & resource for the specialist sector. Consequently, the mainstream setting does not up-skill its staff, adjust its culture or adapt & improve its offer.
There are variations, of course.
In many cases, the parents fight for, and win, a place at the local school, which in turn must make reasonable accommodations for the child and provide ample support, resources, and differentiation or a different curriculum.
However, without a healthy relationship, and a willing attitude on the part of the school, annual review meetings can become embittered with gathered evidence produced opposing the placement. This soured relationship, and lack of successful inclusion is a self-fulfilling prophecy unless good intentions are there from the beginning. Henceforth, often resulting in more demand for specialist settings.
There are many ‘reasons’ for an increase in demand for ‘special education’.
Parents want, and deserve, a good education for their children. Greater numbers of people are realising – post pandemic – that a 21st century education must place increased focus on social & emotional mental health and well-being. Specialist settings naturally afford more time to look at the individual, whereas mainstream schools are under more pressure to perform academically.
Many parents (and indeed learners themselves) decide that their child won’t cope, even with differentiated learning, and opt for a different curriculum altogether – one that is better suited to their child’s needs and abilities.
As always, this is meant in no way to diminish the good work being done by educators in all schools – mainstream or specialised. From various visits to a wide range of school ‘types’, I see the love and care that teaching staff give to children, and the effort they put in to effectively include and educate them. Inclusive education is very difficult, skilled work and faces serious challenges in the mainstream and specialist sectors.
For inclusive education to ‘take off’ and attract the attention of mainstream schools, and parents, special educational needs and disabilities must be notched further up the list of government priorities across the world…and not just in schools!
Inclusive Education Webinar for Parents
23 May 2022 | 10am | FREE
Join Chris for a discussion led by industry experts and parent advocates on the effective inclusion of all children within mainstream settings. Click here or on the image below to register your place.
Next time we start looking at teaching – ‘How can I be inclusive?’