An e-mail from the excellent website hemihelp (about speech therapy provision) got me thinking today.
About the years of 'inclusion' advocated by Dame Mary Warnock which actually resulted (in this borough at least) in cutbacks, disorganisation and pupils with special needs left somewhat in the lurch as the LEA bickered about who was responsible for what on a statement of special needs and then not having the money to implement a lot of it anyway! Trying to eradicate the special schools and absorb all the dear little disabled children into mainstream minus resources, training or suitable access rates as disablism in my book.
Fortunately, Dame Mary herself had the good sense to retract and acknowledge that special schools will always have a place in education and that they should be promoted as centres of excellence and not embarrassing necessities.
2 comments:
God only knows where our son would be without his place at a Special School. Mainstream workd until Year 4 and the experience (for us anyway) was good but after that, when real 'big school' kicks in it would have been disastrous. As it is, he has grown immensely in confidence and maturity has has far more opportunities tham if he'd been made to stay in mainstream.
Integration is all very well but each person has to be assessed on their own needs --ad sometimes those needs are for a particular and separate place.
Glad to have found your blog through BADD
Thanks for stopping by Cusp!
I know just what you mean. Jordan is achieving his independence slowly but surely. I just don't believe that would be happening in mainstream.
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