EQUALITY IN EDUCATION: A UK Perspective in developing access and inclusion for pupils with disabilities/SENPhilippa RussellCouncil for Disabled Children & Disability Rights Commission

THE INCLUSION DEBATE IN THE UK- SOME KEY QUESTIONS How do we define ‘inclusion’?

Can we include all children with SEN/disabilities in mainstream settings? How can we best support schools to meet their needs?

Can we maintain high educational standards and include pupils with disabilities/SEN in mainstream schools?

Can disabled children with complex disabilities or challenging behaviour be effectively educated in mainstream schools?

DEFINITIONS OF INCLUSION – THE ‘SALAMANCA STATEMENT [UNESCO, 1994]

Every child has a fundamental right to education and must be given the opportunity to achieve and maintain acceptable levels of learning.

Education systems should be designed to take account of the diversity of children’s unique characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs.

Those with special educational needs must have access to mainstream schools which should accommodate them within a child-centred pedagogy capable of meeting these needs.

DEFINITIONS OF INCLUSION IN PRACTICE ‘ An inclusive school provides ‘the

least restrictive environment’ for all its pupils’ [USA legislation]

‘Inclusion views diversity of strengths, abilities and needs as natural and desirable..leading to learning and growth for the whole school community and giving every member a valued role. Inclusion requires striving for the optimal growth of all pupils in the most enabling environment by recognising and developing individual strengths and responding to needs.’ [Council for Disabled Children, UK]

TRENDS IN INCLUSION IN THE UK 253,000 children have Statements of

Special Educational Needs [SEN] in England. SEN is now largest element in Education Authority budgets, but wide variations in size of budget and how it is spent. [Audit Commission, 2001 and DfES, 2001]

38% of these children attend special schools

Reported increase in numbers of children with complex disabilities or severe behavioural difficulties

TRENDS IN INCLUSION continued…………. Some differing views - Deaf community and

Autism interest groups favour specialist provision and see this as ‘cultural and linguistic’ right

More appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal from parents wanting special school places than inclusion BUT:

Marked trend for young children with ‘new statements’ to attend mainstream nurseries and schools.

Interest in capacity of special schools to become resource bases for mainstream neighbours

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES – Does Inclusion Work? National policy focus on ‘excellence for all

children’ , with high expectations of access and achievement for all children BUT:

Lack of clarity about what are GOOD OUTCOMES for pupils with disabilities/SEN who may not achieve the ‘national markers’ in the public examination system

Lack of information on long-term outcomes of different types of education – but new longitudinal study to ‘track’ large cohort of disabled children over 10 year period.

MORE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES………….. A new disability/human rights movement

across Europe

Stronger parental rights in education – but increasing litigation can drain money from school and Education Authority budgets

Growing awareness of the role of health and social care services in securing high quality education for disabled students. In UK, big debate about role of teaching staff in administering medication/carrying out medical procedures

Special Educational Needs in the UK Schools and LEAs have responsibility for a

progressive response to pupils’ special educational needs. All pupils are entitled to a ‘broad and balanced’ curriculum.

All schools have ‘SENCOS’ [Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators] to plan and support pupils with SEN

If intervention at school level is unsuccessful without additional support, a statutory multi-agency assessment may lead to a ‘Statement of Special Educational Needs’

Assessing special educational needs – key areas for assessment and provision Communication and interaction

Cognition and learning

Behaviour and social/emotional development

Sensory or physical disabilities/needs

Medical conditions which may affect learning

Assessment of special educational needs at school level: Every effort is made to meet pupils’ needs

at the school level, through an Individual Education Plan which sets out action to be taken and is regularly reviewed.

The school takes into account the views (and wishes) of parents and pupils

Careful records are kept of pupil’s progress

Appropriate specialist advice is sought as necessary

Statutory assessment when pupils have more complex SEN If interventions at the school level are

insufficient, children may be referred for ‘statutory assessment’

‘Statutory assessment’ is a formal assessment process, with reports from the school, educational psychology services, health and social services and the LEA

The ‘Statement of SEN’ sets out name of school and of provision to be made. Schools and LEAs must make meet requirements specified in the Statement

Guidance and support for SEN An SEN Code of Practice and a

‘Toolkit’ to guide schools and LEAs in meeting special educational needs

A Code of Practice on the new disability duties in education

New guidance on inclusive schooling and an Index for Inclusion to steer schools in developing inclusive practice

The UK Legal Framework for Inclusion: The SEN and Disability Act 2001 The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act

2001

New duties not to treat disabled pupils less favourably than other pupils in access to the physical environment and the curriculum of the school or college

New duties on schools to plan strategically to improve access and inclusion for future pupils

New duties also cover ‘whole life of the school’, including transport, after-school activities, school visits etc.

The SEN and Disability Act 2001 – presumption of mainstream education Children with SEN/disabilities must

be educated in mainstream schools unless the parents express a preference for a special school

Or unless the inclusion of the pupil would be incompatible with the effective education of other pupils

New statutory guidance on inclusion (2002) Guidance sets out legal duties of Local

Education Authorities (LEAs) to promote inclusive education

Offers examples of the steps which schools and LEAs might take to include pupils with different SEN and disabilities in mainstream

Clarifies when it might not be possible to include a disabled child in mainstream schools

New expectations of schools to ‘think inclusion’ Schools and LEAs are now expected

to take ‘reasonable steps’ to ensure that pupils with SEN or disabilities can be included in mainstream schools

They will be expected to demonstrate that they have taken such reasonable steps in school inspections.

User views of inclusion – what do parents think? Parent aspirations for inclusive education

growing – great emphasis on disabled children being part of community and community schools.

Many parents concerned about limited curriculum access in small special schools – but others anxious that mainstream schools do not always understand children’s SEN or disability.

Pressure for special school places most likely from parents of children with complex needs (special concerns over problems with therapy, equipment or trained teachers in mainstream)

Disabled children – what do they want? Some messages from UK research ‘The best education – so that I can get a job,

get a life, get a girl friend. All the usual things! I don’t want to be different!’

‘To go to [mainstream] school with my brothers and friends, no yellow [special school] bus, no teasing, because people think I go the stupid school!’

‘What do I want? I go to a special school and they’ve made me really independent. They pushed me to do things I thought I never could. Sometimes you need specialist help to really learn, like special teachers and equipment.’

Partnership with parents and pupils – key theme in UK education In UK all parents have legal rights to

play an active role in their children’s assessment of SEN and any subsequent provision

All LEAs must provide ‘Parent Partnership Services’ to give parents individual information, advice and support. Parents can have ‘Independent Parental Supporters’ to help them with assessment, school visits, reviews etc.

Partnership with parents continued….. From 2002 all LEAs must provide

independent mediation services to help resolve disagreements

The SEN and Disability Tribunal can hear formal appeals when parents are not satisfied with decisions of LEAs

Partnership with pupils

New emphasis on involvement of pupils in assessment, and in developing their own individual education plans

Pupils can contribute their own views in formal assessment and in Tribunal hearings

From 14-19 all pupils will have individual Personal Advisers through Connexions Programmes. Connexions is designed to improve preparation for transition to further or higher education or vocational training

Getting inclusion right from the start Focus on early identification and

assessment – new guidance on ‘Birth to Twos’ with disabilities/SEN introduces new guidelines for multi-agency assessment and keyworkers for parents

Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (which plan at local level) have duties to promote inclusion and support young children with SEN

Creation of ‘Early Excellence Centres’

What are ‘reasonable steps’ to support inclusion? giving careful consideration to individual

pupils’ learning styles and reflecting these in the curriculum

Setting appropriate targets so that personal progress can be tracked

Working in partnership with parents to support the pupil

Providing appropriately adapted teaching materials and any necessary equipment (eg IT)

Creating inclusive schools requires long-term planning

All schools are now required to have Inclusion Policy. The Index for Inclusion supports practice and policy development

All schools must have an Accessibility Policy to improve physical and curriculum access for disabled pupils.

All LEAs must have SEN Plans and Accessibility Strategies

The big challenge to inclusion – managing difficult behaviour Schools and LEAs required to have Behaviour

Support Plans – growing concern about difficult and disruptive behaviour in schools

Particular interest in developing programmes for children with autism spectrum disorders

Growth in school exclusions – but Pupil Referral Units for excluded pupils (with key objective of enabling pupils to return to mainstream school)

The future role of special schools The UK Government considers that

special schools ‘have a continuing and vital role to play within an inclusive education system.’

It envisages special schools as becoming ‘outward looking centres of excellence’ to support mainstream schools

Growing number of special school pupils now attend mainstream schools part-time

Some examples of special schools working in partnership with mainstream schools NORFOLK PARK SCHOOLmakes provision

for children with severe or complex learning difficulties. It provides advice and support and in-service training across the city. The ‘school inclusion team’ can go out and advise on the management of individual education plans.

The school runs an ‘Inclusion Forum’ that provides a network for professionals across the city and provides regular in-service training.

Another example of partnership between special and mainstream schools HYDE SCHOOL is a special school for

children with hearing impairments. The school uses British Sign Language [BSL] and has excellent examination results. The school supports a deaf pupil who wishes to attend his local mainstream school. They provide training in BSL for the staff and advice on equipment to maximise the pupil’s hearing. A special school teacher agrees to provide the subject teachers with regular advice, for example on preparation for examinations and on communication issues.

Creating inclusive schools – collective responsibilities Health and social services departments

must contribute to assessment and provision – Government working on National Service Framework for children’s health and social care

Growing concerns over ‘risk assessment’ management of medical conditions in schools. New guidance on the education of sick children. Children with medical needs must have individual Health Plan.

Arrangements for children needing support from health or social services LEAs must have ‘designated’ medical and social

services officers to co-ordinate care for pupils with additional needs

From September 2002, schools and LEAs must have ‘accessibility’ plans and strategies which set out how they propose to improve access and inclusion. These will include access to services outside education

Health and Social Services Act 2001 will encourage ‘pooled budgets’ for purchase of equipment and joint funding of specialist support

Outcomes of inclusion in mainstream schools – messages for the future We need better working definitions of

‘inclusion’, putting greater inclusion in the context of school improvement and the development of effective schools

There is limited information on good outcomes for disabled pupils – not least on the interface between health, social care and education in ensuring their overall wellbeing and in giving them ‘a life after school’

Outcomes of inclusion….

Limited understanding of the implications of ‘mainstreaming’ for different groups of disabled children and young people: we need strong partnerships with specialist support services for children with complex needs

We need to define the role of health and social services within mainstream settings – effective education does not depend upon schools alone

Promoting inclusion, raising attainment Government agenda for raising standards –

setting national targets for Key Stages of the National Curriculum and in public examinations

Progress valued for all pupils – new ’P’ scales to record progress for pupils with severe learning disabilities who cannot reach key stages of National Curriculum

Research programme to create evidence base for effective pedagogy for pupils with SEN

‘Schools Plus’ – Increasing capacity in mainstream settings Current challenge in balancing

holistic needs of disabled children in school system which is examination/performance orientated

We need to find ways of expressing ‘value added’ for disabled children whose successes cannot be recorded through traditional qualifications and accreditation

‘Schools Plus’ – plus!

New interest in schools as ‘resource base’ for wider health and social services in neighbourhood

New disability rights in education legislation creates obligations but raises awareness about professional training and development

We need to listen to and reflect the views of disabled pupils and parents in determining what is truly the least restrictive environment and what maximises successful adult life.

In conclusion……

Research evidence indicates that inclusive schools are good for all pupils

UK Government sees development of inclusion in wider context of raising performance for all pupils

Need to develop a research programme to clarify evidence base for different approaches to SEN and disability

In conclusion….

The Disability Rights Commission has an important role in promoting confidence in the ability of schools to meet the needs of pupils with disabilities and SEN and to give authoritative and independent advice

To raise awareness of human rights in education, disability awareness and equality need to be included in the school curriculum – the UK National Curriculum now includes a module on ‘Citizenship for all’

Improving access and inclusion – priority agenda for UK Government ‘ Mainstream schools with an inclusive

orientation are the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes, creating welcoming communities, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all. Moreover they provide an effective education for the majority of children (with or without disabilities or SEN and improve the efficiency and ultimately the cost-effectiveness of the entire education system.’ [Secretary of State, 2002]