Re:locate magazine, summer 2005

Special Schools For Special Children

With special needs schools hitting the headlines, help with selecting a school for relocating children with special needs is particularly timely, as Kate Barker discovers.

As any parent with school age children will know, choosing a school is one of the most important, and often difficult, decisions you will ever have to make. If your child has special educational needs (SEN), that decision can be even harder, involving various stages of assessment from teachers, the local authority and a range of health and education professionals. For a relocating family with a child with special educational needs therefore, the prospect of finding an appropriate school in a new and unfamiliar area can seem particularly daunting.

In England and Wales one in five children - some 1.9 million in total - have some form of SEN, ranging from emotional problems to those with dyslexia or autism, to the profoundly brain damaged. It also includes those children with high abilities. The special needs framework in the UK was set up under the auspices of the 1981 Education Act, giving schools new responsibilities for accommodating children with special educational needs. Three years previously, Baroness Warnock had been commissioned to undertake an inquiry into the education of handicapped children and young people, to investigate special needs teaching and make recommendations for reform.

The report revealed an antiquated system, with no special needs provision in mainstream classrooms, and those with problems mainly dumped in special schools. Thus Warnock recommended greater inclusion for those with special needs. However, since then, OFSTED and the Audit Commission have revealed how bad the system has become, and although most special needs children are now educated in mainstream schools, according to OFSTED, "a minority of mainstream schools treat special needs very well." One of the worst aspects of special education, says the Audit Commission, is the fluctuation of provision around the country, with currently virtually no central monitoring of children's performance, spending or teacher training. It all adds up to a worrying situation for any parent, especially one having to relocate and face what could appear to be an overwhelmingly complicated system.

However, help is at hand, from educational consultant Gabbitas, which has recently published its 2005-2006 guide to schools for children with special educational needs. The directory provides an indispensable guide for parents, outlining the system and processes involved in special needs education, giving advice on the assessment and identification of needs, where to seek help, and a comprehensive directory of special schools and colleges in both the state and independent sector.

Special needs education is not, as many believe, a matter solely for special schools, and according to Gabbitas, it should be possible for most children with SEN to be educated within the mainstream system. Indeed, since the Warnock Committee Report, one of the main principles of SEN policy is that this should be the case whenever possible. In terms of the law applying to admissions, the local education authority must make arrangement to allow parents to express a preference as to the maintained school at which they want education to be provided for their child and also to give a reason for this preference. However, this does not apply to nursery schools or special schools or admission procedures for children with statements (a small minority of children who have special educational needs of a severe or complex nature will need statements).

Moving abroad

For those parents relocating overseas, however, a whole new set of key decisions can be added to compound the situation further. Should the child accompany them, or stay at a boarding school in the UK? For those planning for an extended period, Gabbitas suggests consideration of a number of factors including: *your individual circumstances; *your child's age and severity and nature of your child's needs; *availability and accessibility of suitable education provision and where appropriate, medical provision and therapy in the UK and host country; *your child's ability to cope with change. If you plan to take your child with you, weigh up the benefits and drawbacks. For example, benefits might include better salary and employment conditions; better climate; more domestic help; better medical provision and good provision for your child's particular needs. Weigh this against drawbacks which could include isolation; absence of support groups; lack of family support; language barriers; limited special needs provision and lack of facilities for the disabled; and a lack of networking opportunities to share help and ideas. Any parent with children with SEN will already be aware of the challenges involved in what often seems like a minefield of jargon, red tape and brick walls. For those relocating, the prospect of going through the system in a new area or a new country is the stuff of nightmares. "Above all, avoid making hasty decisions," the Gabbitas guide advises. "Give yourself time to make an informed choice and to consider the pros and cons for the whole family."

How to chose a school

According to Gabbitas, factors parents should consider when choosing a school include:

• recommendations from the local education authority as to whether a school is suitable for your child's needs
• opinions of education and medical professionals regarding the type of school that is best for your child
• advice from support groups, such as the National Autistic Society or the RNIB, which can offer advice in their particular area of expertise
• information from websites, prospectuses and OFSTED reports
• consulting organisations such as Gabbitas or the Independent Panel for Special Education Advice (IPSEA) which can provide lists of possible schools

Other factors parents should consider

• the more schools you look at, the more likely you are to find something appropriate
• is a place actually available for your child when you need it?
• what formal qualifications do the teachers have?
• does the school cater for your child's specific needs or is it more generalist? What are the special needs of other children in the school?
• resources, class sizes, adult-to-child ratio, and access to other professionals, such as psychologists or speech therapists, if necessary
• are there opportunities for mainstream integration? If so are there children in the school already on an integration programme?
• are you able to see children in a lesson? If so, are they stimulated and interested? How does the teacher cope with unforeseen circumstances, ie, naughty behaviour?

Source: Gabbitas

© 2007. Article taken from pages 28-29 of the summer 2005 edition of Re:locate magazine, published by Profile Locations, Spray Hill, Hastings Road, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8JB. All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of Profile Locations. Profile Locations accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein.