Schools 'to be independent'

[streamdreams]

What do you make of the recent education anouncments ?

 

I spoted several thisn that make this interestin but I am not shure how it is likely to pan out for example I saw ;

 

"The White Paper will say councils should act as mediators between schools and families, rather than as providers."

 

But the folowingf looks like good nes;

 

There will also be encouragements for start-up schools from parents' groups, charities, universities, community organisations, faith groups and businesses.

 

And even more encuragin is ;

Although less headline-grabbing, but with longer-term significance, have been the repeated suggestions that assessment of education has to be about individual pupils, rather than looking at the performance of institutions.

 

My fear is the intermediate termoil

 

J

[mossgrove]

I am very wary.

 

I think that the way this system is set up will see many more schools discouraging children with SEN from attending. The powers of the LEA to make them take children with SEN are set to be taken away as schools gain complete control over admissions poicy.

 

You can see it in our Health System now, where many hospitals are self-governing. Hospitals are competing ruthlessly to attract the top surgeons and specialis units for glamourous well-funded things like heart and transplant surgery, ITU's, keyhole surgery and all the rest. Many trusts are also putting considerable effort into making the case for the less glamourous bits (Mental Health, care of the elderly) to be given to someone else to look after as they cost money to provide but attract little funding.

 

In the new league-table obsessed independent world, children wirth special needs will be at the bottom of the pile. Teaching children with SEN is undefunded centrally and expensive to deliver, schools will do all they can legally do to limit their puils to high-achieving mainstream children. This policy is being run in tandem with an 'inclusion regardless of need' policy that means that special school building/creation has ground to a halt, the proposed delegation to schools of SEN funding, the mooted withdrawal of the statementing system, proposals to make it easier to exclude puils and calls to withdraw the right to appeal against exclusion.

 

Sorry if this sounds negative, but I honestly feel that the needs of children with SEN are so low down the Governments list of priorities that I cannot see anything but harm coming out of this.

 

 

Simon

Edited October 25, 2005 by mossgrove

[KarenT]

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

Karen

x

[MelowMeldrew]

I don't see how choice comes into it when many areas simply have no autistic unit or school in them. There are suggestions those outside a catchment area will now be 'bussed in' , but who is going to pick up the cost ? The school won't, and the LEA's have consistently stated they can't afford to do it. when your nearest special school is in a different educational authority area (As ours are), there's considerable issues involved. New Labour, old rope ! It has no chance of any success, schools need order and continuity, they get a new curriculum every year and a new set of completely OTT guidelines no-one can enforce, and appear to have been devised by Mickey Mouse and Minnie..

 

It says parents AND schools will be able to choose, which means parents won't be able to ! If you are a head teacher, what pupils would you prefer ? some children from an inner city or failing schooll with a record for GBH and no interest in learning ? or a child known to work and pass exams ? Neither pupils nor teachers know what is coming next, and endless testing and exams has produced qualifications employers don't accept are worth the paper they are printed on. Those children struggling, will just struggle more, as the 'better' schools cherry pick the more able. Back to the Tory way of doing things again ! Basically you can ask for a proper school placing for your child now, but don't expect anything, so what's new ?

Edited October 25, 2005 by MelowMeldrew

[annie]

I agree with you Simon. At a meeting with our LEA a few weeks ago, the chair of the meeting told us the Government's planned changes. If parents of SEN children think things are bad now, it will only get worse.

 

The number of statements given out are already being cut back under the guise of 'funding will be given directly to school to support SEN children' - we all know that schools do not always put the funding where it is supposed to go. Without a statement (legal document), the Government/LEA/Schools are laughing, parents will not have legal grounds to complain.

 

IEP's are being fazed out as they are seen to be worthless, true, but if they are written properly and school staff collectively work towards targets with children, then they are not worthless. What will there be to work towards???

 

Schools will be run as businesses with no place the SEN children, full stop.

 

I can see 'voluntary parent contributions' being brought in next, this has been happening in Australia for years. At the start of every school year, parents are asked to 'voluntarily' give money to their child's state school. When we lived there, it was approx. $200 per child. In state high schools there, you also have to purchase school texts books (directly from the child's school) every year. When Alex started high school in Oz, the bill for those alone was nearly $1000. I sincerely hope that this idea isn't going to be on the Government/Schools agenda as a way of adding funds to schools.

 

Edited October 25, 2005 by annie

[mossgrove]

Incase anyone is any doubt about the way this is all heading:

 

http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/st...1600209,00.html

 

 

Simon

[oracle]

I think that this is a case of the 'Needs of the Many' Spock in Star Trek (I think) but I also think that it will end in tears for many parents. Even those who do not have children with SEN. I really do think that that man has finally been blinded by his own light. I wrote down some of his key comments and he must have been awake all night thinking them up. The one that stood out was 'Parent Power' maybe that's what he could do with seeing now in action. I actually shudder to think what is going to happen in reality and not cloud cucko land where many political people appear to live. I was even more depressed to hear David Cameron saying he thinks that this is a wonderful move forward So much for thinking that he is any different to the rest.

 

What is the use of a Statement if the chances of it being upheld are nil. Any idea how long it will take to do something about it under the new system? So that means Statements must be going or will be worth even less than the paper they are written on now

 

I could buy this idea if the Government said that PFI could build as many schools as they wished but that the State would build some SEN Acadamies now wouldn't that be something?

 

Has anyone anywhere heard of a buisness wanting to finance a SEN Academy? Sadly what I do think will happen is that we will see 'sump' schools being built from necessaity to pick up the dregs - I reckon our kids will be included. I certainly have not heard of any business men asking to put their money into SEN - but watch this space because I intend to ask one of our local business men. If you can't beat them join em. Let's build our own schools. It will at least make interesting news if we parents do ask and keep getting told NO. Then again nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

Carole

Edited October 25, 2005 by carole

[Zemanski]

I have the 'start your own small school book' - makes and interesting read and seems even more attractive now

 

it's either that or the whole SEN popultaion moves to Wales

 

- actually a serious consideration in the light of that article

 

Zemanski

[mossgrove]

What is the use of a Statement if the chances of it being upheld are nil. Any idea how long it will take to do something about it under the new system? So that means Statements must be going or will be worth even less than the paper they are written on now

Carole

 

Watch this space. The Government has already said that they think the statementing process is expensive and too bureaucratic. I would be VERY surprised if statements survive the shake-up in their current form, I think they will be replaced by what the Government will call "Giving schools the freedom to meet the childs SEN in the most appropriate way", and the legal protection that a statement now gives will be watered down to the point where it no longer means anything. So of the school doesn't agree that your child has SEN or won't resource provision properly, there's nowhere to go. Other mainstram schools will be similarly overspent onthier SEN budgets and special schools will diminsh as it becomes nigh on impossible to get funding to attend one.

 

I'm not convinced these reforms will work for NT children either, If a school in a posh area is 300% over-subscribed I can't see how sayting that you would be willing to bus children from poorer areas to attend it is going to solve anything.

 

I am very aware that I am starting to repeat myself, but these reforms are very bad news for children with SEN, the reforms are not about them or for them. Much of what we now take for granted will now longer be there. I agree it's not perfect now, but you ain't seen nothing yet!

 

LEA's taking a measured view of the areas requirements(inc SEN) has to be better. Just throwing it to themarket and hoping things sort themselves it is a very, very bad idea.

 

Simon

[mossgrove]

it's either that or the whole SEN popultaion moves to Wales

 

- actually a serious consideration in the light of that article

 

Zemanski

We live just over the border from Wales. Moving into North Wales is something I would seriously consider if these reforms are half as bad as I think they will be.

 

 

Simon

[oracle]

Simon you can repeat and repeat again because I believe you are correct but have not got the foggiest how to stop it from happening.

 

I also agree that for many NT children this will not be good news. I think that the idea behind all of this is that parent take a uch more active roll in their education of their children - which of course they should - but in this case I call it passing the buck. It's moving the shift of power from the top so that they can say hand on heart - this is nothing to do with us. Then if it all goes wrong then they will blame the parents. Now doesn't that sound familiar? I have to say that the mind boggles if some of the parents around the UK do decide to become more involved in their childrens schools. Will it be cappa track suits and as many gold earings as they can all wear - sorry very un-pc I will wrap my own knuckles.

 

Meanwhile those of us who do give a damn will have no choice but to live with the fall out

 

Carole

[streamdreams]

i read in Simon's articles that ;

Schools free to manage their own admissions would have a "perverse incentive" to exclude children with special educational needs to improve their exam results, Sir Mike Tomlinson, the former chief inspector of schools, warned today.

 

 

This is curently the case in Holand, however the excluding school, not the parants, though they may help, have the responcibility to find a new suitable place for the child before they can exclude the child. Parent are interviewed two or three times by the recieving school and there is always the right of apeal. Th new school will want to know why and also have a say how suitable the new araggement may or may not be. The new school may chouse not acept the child if they dont want or believe the reason are unsatifactory.

 

for my $.02 we need a country wide bill of educational rights, schools should provide and the governemt should fund acourdingly. By elimiminitat the central bruocracy, stadardising acress leas etc, money may well be saved in the long run dispite the need for aditional SEN funding

 

J

Edited October 25, 2005 by streamdreams

[phasmid]

This fills me with dread and horror. I see this notion introducing a three tier system of educational provision. Those in the top tier will have well resourced schools with well motivated students and well paid staff. The school population here will be made up from the academicly able. Those in the second tier will find themselves with a few moresls and a great many crumbs. They are likely to be those who don't always achieve academic success and find it hard to reach the required attainmnet levels. Many SEN children are likely to fall into this bracket. The current figure for mainstream primary schools shows a population where some 20% do, or will at sometime during their school life, have SEN difficulties. These schools will not be popular and will have trouble gaining any funding via PFI or similar schemes. They are doomed to be the poor relation of the top tier schools. The third tier? Who ever is left will get crumbs from the crumbs - basically not much!

 

New and improved? No, that rarely happens. It normally means cheaper and worse. I think we should watch developments with very wary eyes.

[mossgrove]

Streamdreams

 

I think there are more safeguards in Holland. John Dunford (who is head of the Head Teachrs Union) wan't schools to be able to excude pupils without right of appeal. The only appeals he would allow would be where the school had not followed procedures. His intention was that under no circumstances would there be any right of appeal over whether the decsion was 'right' or 'wrong'. He thinks that headmasters always know best so that a right of appeal is unecessary interference. Sadly the Government is listening to him, as LEA's will no longer run schools, it follows that an excluded child will haveno-one to appeal to.

 

One of the things that supporters of this approach ignore is that exclusion solves nothing. The child still needs to be educated (And a significant proprtion of excluded childre have SEN even under the current system). Currently schools accept no responsibility for what happens to excluded children, they simply exclude permanently and forget all about them, and the excluded children have a greater chance of futher exclusion, involvemnt in petty crime, drink and drug problems, criminal convinctions, depression and low self-esteeem. The headmaster is congratulated for taking firm burt effective action. Most politicians in this country want to see excusions increase not decrease.

 

Again, these reforms are not about or for these children.

 

Simon

[oracle]

When Mr B talked about 'Parent Power' I was sat there thinking that I had already exercised my rights on that issue. I did that by taking my sons out - but I did hope that this would be something that other parents would not even have to consider in the years to come. However I can only see more parents being put in this position. Then again when Every Child Matters really begins to bite it may become harder for a parent to take their child out of the system, that they are so convinced is meeting the needs of all (manic laughter)

 

One thing worth taking note of is that last year AIM were advised by Lord Filkin along with NAS and PACE, and I quote

that we should ALL be tryting to ensure that the Children and Young People?s Plans included data on the numbers of children with ASDs and Joint Area Reviews could follow up if there was a lack of such data.� JARs should look at provision for children with learning disabilities and make clear to local authorities that ASD is part of that.

Every area is working on this plan RIGHT NOW. Start asking questions NOW.

 

Also Helen and I decided weeks ago that our unified efforts on a National Playing Field were not going to gain us as much as we had hoped. We both realised that our issues would very much now take place in our Local Authorities. I really would advise all parents groups to purchase a copy of the PACE campaigning handbook. Me thinks that this group had a very clear picture of the way of things to come.

 

In a starnge turn around of events I feel that the LEA may yet become the only friend that a parent with an SEN child will have

 

Carole

Edited October 25, 2005 by carole

[streamdreams]

I think there are more safeguards in Holland. John Dunford (who is head of the Head Teachrs Union) wan't schools to be able to excude pupils without right of appeal. The only appeals he would allow would be where the school had not followed procedures. His intention was that under no circumstances would there be any right of appeal over whether the decsion was 'right' or 'wrong'. He thinks that headmasters always know best so that a right of appeal is unecessary interference. Sadly the Government is listening to him, as LEA's will no longer run schools, it follows that an excluded child will haveno-one to appeal to.

 

Yes I feel that is the case. Sad realy I am now an excile from my own country ! Ok things could change but ther is no way i cam bringing my AS kids back at the moment

 

J

[mossgrove]

Carole

 

Does the Government even recognise Aspergers as an ASD?

 

The impression I get is that they think of it as a minor issue that is easily dealt with by the school without need for a statement or additional funding. It certainly seems to be 'not severe enough' to be included in their consulations.

 

Simon

[phasmid]

Does the Government even recognise Aspergers as an ASD?

 

Well according to the Autistic Spectrum Disorders good practice guidance document they do! It waffles away about ASDs all the way through book 01 but, it does mention Aspergers specifically in the glosary (P19). This document is supposed to be the benchmark schools should use for becoming ASD aware and friendly.