Education: Children with Learning DifficultiesEssay Preview: Education: Children with Learning DifficultiesReport this essayOverall Theme: Segregation, integration or inclusion?Considerations:History of special needs in the UKConceptualisation of special needsDefinitions of integrationDefinitions of inclusionDefinitions of segregationWho should be taught what? Why?Purposes of educationPersonal EXPWithin the United Kingdom over the past few decades, the matter of the way in which children with learning difficulties go about being educated has been a significant issue. Essentially, there are three ways in which these children can be provided an education Ð- through segregation, integration or inclusion.
Segregation essentially means that the children who are Ðdisabled are placed in Ðspecial needs schools that can supposedly be Ðbetter suited for them than Ðnormal schools. Integration for the disabled is quite possibly best described as: Ða thousand things. It means the absence of segregation. It means social acceptance. It means being able to be treated like everybody elseÐ to be educated up to university level with ones unhandicapped peers (Snowdon, 1976). However, whilst this description of integration sounds positive, it could be seen that ÐIntegration implies a separate population that we are seeking to bring inÐ… Inclusion is based on a planning assumption that everyone is “in” to start with (Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists) Integration, therefore, is all to do with ÐMaximising the participation of all children in mainstream schools and removing environmental, structural and attitudinal barriers to their participation (Scottish Executive).
In England, the Warnock Report (1978) and the Education Act (1981) recommended that children with learning difficulties should be integrated into mainstream schools when possible. However, note that it was merely Ðrecommended and not made compulsory. Therefore, Local Education Authorities (LEAs) were encouraged, but not legally required, to implement integration within schools even though the government did not provide them with any extra revenue or resources to achieve this goal. In 2000, almost 100,000 children were still in English special schools, proving that segregation was still an issue then and still is now.
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) passed a new Special Educational Needs Code of Practice in 2001, containing advice on methods for allowing children with these special educational needs to reach their full potential within the educational system by being fully included within their school communities. This code stated that Ðthe special educational needs of children will normally be met in mainstream schools, Ðthe views of the child should be sought and taken into account, Ðthose responsible for special educational provision should take into account the wishes of the child concerned, in the light of their age and understanding and that Ðthere is close cooperation between all the agencies concerned and a multi-disciplinary approach
The Children and Young Persons Act (CHA) of 1979 (N.S.), as amended (1991), provides for a national child protection and care plan for children with special education needs, including those whose special children require or rely on the care and education of other children, in accordance with the following guidelines:
Ðthe Minister of Education and Skills (MEP) shall ensure that all families receiving children with special education need to make arrangements on how they will be brought into school from a specialist provider to ensure that their children are properly enrolled. In practice, this includes, without limitation, providing suitable housing, and the family will have access to available health care services. Other families may be required to attend school from a specialist provider who are of the child’s usual or appropriate age or to provide support to a family living overseas, without regard to child or family, or to any restrictions or requirements for accessing these services by the person(s) outside the family which apply. This will ensure that the child meets all the requirements of the relevant scheme. The Child and Young persons Act may also include an appropriate provision which sets out the circumstances under which a special education care scheme is to be operated and the status of the children and young persons concerned.
The Department for Communities and Local Government will continue to consult and advise the Government about the adequacy of the National Child Care Plan which is a national scheme with a number of responsibilities. These include:
assisting the Government at all times in administering the Children and Young Persons Act and the Child and Youth Employment Act and to take the necessary steps to make appropriate use of services and resources for children
applying for and seeking arrangements for access to secondary school
assisting the Government in supporting families who have or may have to leave the Children and Young Persons Act to attend a specialist services provider
assisting that children receive appropriate early education support. This includes being available for secondary school, to the best degree possible, in order to meet needs of high mobility, and, if available, ensuring that children have a secure place to live in their homes. This includes the availability of specialist accommodation and facilities necessary to complete the needs of children with special needs.
There are a number of mechanisms in place to reduce and/or improve the access to services available to children in special education services as a result of the Child and Young Persons Act. The Children and Young Persons Act will ensure that the national child care plan is consistent with all of the measures. As mentioned above, these include:
• a provision which protects children and families from an unacceptable level of special education provision, and provides to provide the Children and Young Persons Act with further guidance on how to improve arrangements for children with special education needs
• an arrangement to provide family counselling and support to families who live in disadvantaged communities
• an extension of the National Child Care Scheme to support access to primary schools for children aged under 16 and to enable them to reach their full potential within their community
• a change to the Family and Parent