Ofsted says schools using special needs too widely

**Maggy** · 14-09-2010, 18:13

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11287193

Quote:

Thousands of pupils are being wrongly labelled as having special educational needs when all they require is better teaching and support, Ofsted has said.
It said up to 25% of the 1.7m pupils in England with special needs would not be so labelled if schools focused more on teaching for all their children.

Of course

Quote:

The National Union of Teachers said such claims were "insulting and wrong".

but

Quote:

Some 54% of students with SEN - those with the least severe problems - are assessed by their schools, while the 2.7% with the most acute difficulties go through a complex process of assessment under their local authority to obtain a "statement" of their needs.
Ofsted's inspectors said the term SEN was used too widely and assessments varied widely in different areas.

They said schools should "stop identifying pupils as having SEN when they simply needed better teaching and pastoral support

I have been thinking myself for some time that it is too easy to label a child for life.Plus that 54% of SEN students with 'less severe problems' are essentially stealing time and money from those with the really acute problems.

Also employ someone to 'FIND' children with issues then they may well be extra zealous in diagnosing such children.

Angua · 14-09-2010, 18:21

Agree wholeheartedly. So many children go through primary school where such things as dyslexia are missed. Or have an SEN where all they started with is not talking because a sibling did it for them - seems smart to me!

14-09-2010, 18:22

I suppose it is possible that some schools are overzealous in labeling a child as needing special needs because they get extra funding ,on the other hand if the school needs to do that then they must be underfunded in the first place .
Could this report be a way for cuts to be justified from the special needs budget ?

Taf · 14-09-2010, 18:25

As a father of Special Neeeds twins (ADHD and Aspergers) I have seen the "disruptive" pupils dumped into the SEN classes just to get them out of the way so "normal" classes could get on with lessons.

For whatever reason, they miss lessons, fall behind, and therefore become a "burden" on modern teaching methods, so are classed as disruptive and pushed to the SEN classes.

Once in, very hard to get out again.

Once my daughter was properly medicated for ADHD she started to fly, but the schools always clipped her wings and kept her cooped-up in the SEN classes "just in case she kicks off again".

Protests always fell on deaf ears, especially if an inspection was due.

Now they are into college they have waved "goodbye and good riddance" to the poxy school system that has emerged over the past decade or so.

---------- Post added at 19:25 ---------- Previous post was at 19:24 ----------

Around here, dyslexia is not tested-for until COLLEGE age!!!

Dyspraxia is STILL awaiting a standard test for evaluation.

peanut · 14-09-2010, 18:30

When I was lad, back in my day... to be classed as special needs was no different to be called the worse thing imaginable. Has that now changed?

I so hate the term myself.

Taf · 14-09-2010, 18:51

Integration has a lot to answer for... political dogma over need.

**Maggy** · 14-09-2010, 18:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyh

I suppose it is possible that some schools are overzealous in labeling a child as needing special needs because they get extra funding ,on the other hand if the school needs to do that then they must be underfunded in the first place .
Could this report be a way for cuts to be justified from the special needs budget ?

I was thinking more along the lines of justifying one's job..

14-09-2010, 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggy J

I was thinking more along the lines of justifying one's job..

I rather think that there are a quite a lot of civil servants trying very hard indeed to justify their jobs in the current climate

nffc · 14-09-2010, 22:29

SEN carries some sort of social stigma - which I think is wrong; it should just signify a kid whose educational needs are not the same as the norm. In which case, I don't see why academically gifted kids aren't SEN - purely because they need extra things to keep them interested.

**Maggy** · 15-09-2010, 06:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by nffc

SEN carries some sort of social stigma - which I think is wrong; it should just signify a kid whose educational needs are not the same as the norm. In which case, I don't see why academically gifted kids aren't SEN - purely because they need extra things to keep them interested.

I agree about the latter..very much so.