Mainstream education and children and young people with special educational needs.
Background
Twenty per cent of children in all schools across England are identified as having special educational needs (SEN). Despite attempts by the government to secure mainstream school placements for all children with SEN, only 55 per cent of children with SEN attend mainstream schools.
26 A review of the policy and literature surrounding mainstream education provision for children and young people with SEN reveals a range of arguments and debates, often leading to questions about the very nature and purpose of the education system itself. Parents in particular can experience high levels of frustration with the current system and the failure of many mainstream schools to put policies of inclusion into practice.
Overview
According to government definitions, the majority of children aged 16 and under with brain injury or brain-related neurological conditions would be identified as children who either have learning difficulties or have a disability, though nearly all would be identified as having ‘special educational needs’.
1 Over the last 30 years, in line with international declarations on the rights of children,2 many countries have strived to develop education systems that avoid the segregation of children and young people identified as having learning difficulties and disabilities. In the UK, this push towards an ‘inclusive’ education system has been taken up by successive governments through policy and legislation that has sought to turn a value-based ideology into a framework for social change and educational practice.
The ‘SEN system’, as it is commonly known - the policies and practices within the education system aiming to support children and young people with special educational needs - is extremely complex. On the one hand, it is concerned with meeting the individual educational and support needs of the 1.5 million children and young people identified as having SEN, whilst on the other hand, it is trying to address the large-scale systemic problems that this inevitably creates.
The SEN system involves a broad range of ‘stakeholders’ - individuals with a vested interest in how the system performs. These stakeholders include children and young people, parents, professionals, such as teachers and special educational needs specialists and, on the outside looking in, advocacy groups, academics and the government. Many of these stakeholders have very different and often conflicting views of the SEN system and how it is, or is not, meeting its intended purpose. Bound up in this endeavour are debates about how, by whom and for what purpose, disability and special educational needs are defined, differing interpretations of the meaning of the term ‘inclusion’ and questions about the purpose and structure of education itself.
Experiences of parents
Parents of children with special educational needs commonly experience considerable difficulties when trying to access schools of their own choosing and ensuring that the educational and support needs of their children are met.
A SCOPE survey in 2006 found that 60 per cent of parents of children with SEN were offered no choice at all when considering a school for their child,
3 while a similar study by the National Autistic Society found that 66 per cent of parents of children with autism felt that their choice of school was limited by a lack of appropriate local placements.4
Parents and carers of children with SEN often feel disadvantaged by the SEN system because it is difficult to understand and they find that they receive mixed messages from professionals. Schools and local authorities themselves also often struggle to clarify their own roles and responsibilities about what can realistically be achieved within the context of national frameworks and their own local structures.5
The main themes that arise when considering the literature around parents’ experiences of the SEN system are their frustrations with poor communication and a lack of information. The quality of information provided or available to parents about mainstream schools’ abilities to meet their children’s needs is often poor. 6,7,8
The information needs of parents largely centre around the onus that is placed on them to understand SEN system processes such as admissions processes; schools’ SEN policies; how to request SEN support; accessing educational, medical and personal care resources; statementing; exclusion; appeals processes; gaining independent advice, and practical considerations such as school transport arrangements.9 In short, many parents find themselves in need of information and further support in order to effectively overcome the range of issues that can arise when moving through the SEN system.
Key factors affecting the quality of SEN provision in mainstream schools
- Potential conflicts of interest when local authorities are required to both assess the needs of children and to arrange provision to meet those needs, all within limited resources.10
Tensions within schools about how best to meet the needs of individual pupils whilst ensuring the efficient education of all pupils.11
The large class sizes of most mainstream schools working against the successful inclusion of pupils with SEN.11
Teachers making insufficient adaptations to the curriculum and holding low expectations of children with SEN.12
Inadequate knowledge, training and resources for teachers and schools.10
Insufficient assessment of the quality of provision for pupils with SEN in mainstream schools by schools and school inspectors.7
An over-reliance on teaching support assistants to meet the needs of pupils with SEN.13
A lack of clarity about how acceptable it is within mainstream education for children with SEN to spend time in separate classes, on- or off-site, for education to meet their individual needs.14
Teaching which focuses on academic knowledge and exam results, as opposed to developing more individually-centred approaches to education.7
Lack of consultation with specialists, parents and advocacy groups around
the needs of pupils with SEN.
Listening to children and young people
The views of children and young people, especially those from marginalised groups, are often ignored in educational decision-making.16
Research shows that one thing all children have in common is the importance they place on relationships and having opportunities to socialise with friends. 17 For most young people friendships are a main motivation for going to school. Yet this is something that has largely been ignored by educational policy makers.18
Some young people with disabilities have described valuing the opportunity to attend mainstream schools because it enabled them to socialise with nondisabled peers, gain qualifications which they saw as essential for being able to achieve independence in adult life, and because mainstream education gave them the opportunity to demonstrate ‘sameness’ and potential.24
They also, however, report that gaining access to mainstream education can present them with problems such as teachers’ low expectations; bullying by peers; a lack of opportunities to socialise without adults present; lack of equipment, resources and appropriate support for learning and participation in school activities; teachers failing to appropriately adapt the curriculum to their needs; lack of consultation around their individual needs and the often poor physical accessibility of mainstream school environments.19,20,21,22,23
A common theme in students’ accounts of their experiences in mainstream education is that despite their presence in the school, they are often made to feel ‘different’ to other pupils and can find themselves excluded from the same educational and social opportunities as their peers.19
There is also evidence, however, that despite the multiple barriers to full participation many young people with disabilities encounter in mainstream schools, for some young people the positives can outweigh the negatives. Although for others, the opposite may also be true.24
Key factors that help promote the effective inclusion of pupils with SEN in mainstream schools
- school leaders who are committed to, and supportive of inclusion25
valuing and involving Special Education Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) at a leadership level within schools11,25
high expectations of all pupils15
regarding pupils with SEN in terms of their abilities and potential, rather than their deficits and impairments25
pre-admissions planning involving teachers, professionals and pupils themselves15
training, resources and support for teachers working with SEN pupils10
positive staff attitudes towards, and understanding of special educational needs15,25
carefully defined and well-managed support for pupils with SEN15
adapting the curriculum and approaches to teaching to meet the needs of pupils with SEN12
involving, consulting and working with parents and advocacy groups around the needs of pupils with SEN11,25
school strategies to evaluate the effectiveness of their inclusion policies and practices.12
References
1 DRC (2006) Schools and the Disability Equality Duty in England and Wales. London, Disabilty Rights Commission
2 UN (1989) Convention on the Rights of the Child. Geneva, United Nations
3 Wooster, E. and Parnell, R (2006) Fighting All The Way: parents’ experiences of choosing a school for their disabled child. London, Scope
4 NAS (2006) Make School Make Sense: Autism and education: the reality for families today. London, National Autistic Society
5 Penfold, C., et al (2009) Parental Confidence in the Special Educational Needs Assessment, Statementing and Tribunal System: a qualitative study. London, National Centre for Social Research
6 MENCAP (2008) Just not a priority: schools and disability equality . London, MENCAP
7 Marshall, C (2008) Thirty-five years of school inspection: raising educational standards for children with additional needs? British Journal of Special Education, Volume 35, Number 2, pp 69-77
8 Lamb, B (2009) Report to the Secretary of State on the Lamb Inquiry Review of SEN and Disability Information, London, Department for Children, Schools and Families
9 CAF (2008) Special educational needs – England, London, Contact a Family
10 TSO (2006) Special Educational Needs. House of Commons Education and Skills Committee Third Report. London, The Stationary Office Limited
11 Shevlin et al (2008) A time of transition: exploring special educational provision in the Republic of Ireland, Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 141- 152
12 OFSTED (2004) Special educational needs and disability: Towards inclusive schools. London, OFSTED
13 OFSTED (2006) Inclusion: does it matter where pupils are taught? London, OFSTED
14
Norwich, B (2008) What future for special schools and inclusion? Conceptual and professional perspectives. British Journal of Special Education, Volume 35. Number 3, pp 136-143
15 OFSTED (2003) Special Educational Needs in the Mainstream. London, OFSTED
16 Rose, R. & Shevlin, M (2004) Encouraging voices: listening to young people who have been marginalized. Support for Learning, 19 (4), 155–161
17 Sutton, L et al (2007) A child’s-eye view of social difference. London, Jospeh Rowntree Foundation
18 Morris, J (2002) That Kind of Life? Social exclusion and young disabled people with high levels of support needs. London, SCOPE
19 Gray (2002) Disability Discrimination in Education: A review of the literature on discrimination across the 0-19 age range, undertaken on behalf of the disability rights commission, London: Disability Rights Commission
20 Woolley, H., et al (2003) Inclusion of disabled children in primary school playgrounds. London, National Childrens Bureau
21 Burchardt, T (2005) The education and employment of disabled young people: Frustrated Ambition. London, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
22 Humphrey, N (2009) Including students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in mainstream schools. British Journal of Special Education, Volume 36, Issue 1, pp 19-25
23 Ryan, D (2009) ‘Inclusion is more than a place’: exploring pupil views and voice in Belfast schools through visual narrative. British Journal of Special Education, Vol.36, Issue 2, pp 77- 84
24 O’Connell, P, and Rustin, C (2005) The Only Way Forward. Brighton, The DARE Foundation
25 Loreman, T (2007) Seven Pillars of support for inclusive education: Moving from “Why?” to “How?” International Journal of Whole Schooling Vol. 3, No. 2
26 DCFS (2009d) Special Educational Needs in England, January 2009. London, Department for Children, Schools and Families