The Daily Mail recently reported on Quintin Kynaston School, a Central London based school where a third of the staff are ‘non-teaching’ teachers.
By this, the article (at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1312092/School-special-needs-gravy-train-Staff-focus-pupils-emotional-problems.html) refers to a range of professionals associated with education, including learning support assistants, learning mentors, counsellors, intensive tutors, student & family support managers, youth advisers and health professionals. These staff do not teach, but instead support pupils with special educational needs.
The article appears not to support the headteacher’s decision to enrol more of these professionals instead of extra teaching staff. It also appears to question the validity of ‘having’ a special educational need, and whether the UK is facing an ‘epidemic’ of such needs.
In addition, Ofsted (who ‘regulate and inspect to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages’), have in the last week published a review of special educational needs and disability arrangements.
The review, titled “A statement is not enough – Ofsted review of special educational needs and disability”, states that up to half of the young people identified as having special educational needs (specifically those identified for School Action) were misdiagnosed, and would be fine “if schools focused on improving teaching and learning for all, with individual goals for improvement”. The review can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ofstedsen
Many are now wondering whether the education system is prompting a backlash against support for special educational needs. Many are also questioning the insinuation that parents and schools are fighting for diagnoses and labels of special educational needs purely for their own financial benefit.
Therapists at I.T.S. have worked with numerous parents over the years who have fought tooth and nail to ensure that their child receives the support that they need to do well at school. This process can take years if the family disputes the education authority’s findings. The stresses, complexities and red tape of the system mean that many families don’t pursue every avenue available to them. It is possible that documents such as Ofsted’s recent review will make the systems even more difficult than they need to be.
The Guardian reports that, “The children’s minister, Sarah Teather, said yesterday: ‘Children with SEN and disabilities should have the provision they need to succeed and parents should not feel they have to battle the system to get help. Improving diagnosis and assessment will be central to our commitment to overhaul the system to ensure families get the appropriate support.’” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/sep/14/half-special-needs-children-misdiagnosed)
Sarah Bennington – September 2010Written on behalf of Integrated Treatment Services. ITS is a private Speech and Language Therapy service based in Leicestershire and the East Midlands. It specialises in providing highly-skilled Speech and Language Therapists, but also associates with other therapeutic professionals, including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists and Arts Therapists.
