Paces

Support & Aspiration - Progress & Next Steps: selection of first responses

A selection of irst responses garnered from Twitter under hashtag #SEN :

Guardian article "Special needs education reform offers hope and anxiety for parents"

Ambitious About Autism "Our statement on Government’s SEN Green Paper response"

IPSEA: "Initial views on the Government's SEN Green Paper Response"

BBC News: "Special needs budgets to be controlled by parents"

Every Disabled Child Matters: "Government denies ‘single plan’ to disabled children with health and social care needs"

NASEN: SEND Green Paper:Next Steps  NASEN catches well the wider import and context and it's worth quoting in full:

"The Next Steps document should be read alongside details of some of the other significant changes that are also taking place, the proposals set out in the School Funding Reform document, the changes to the National Health Service, the raising of the participation age, the significant changes in local authorities and the growth of Academies and Free Schools, will all impact on our most vulnerable young people.

More if/as they arise.

 

 

 

 

Support and Aspiration: DfE publish 'Progress & Next Steps' document

This just published and taken straight from DfE web site:

This report sets out a summary of the key responses to the consultation questions in Support and aspiration, current progress and our further plans for the vision in the Green Paper, in which:

• children’s special educational needs are picked up early and support is routinely put in place quickly
• staff have the knowledge, understanding and skills to provide the right support for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled, wherever they are
• parents know what they can reasonably expect their local school, local college, local authority and local services to provide, without them having to fight for it
• children who would currently have a statement of SEN and young people over 16 who would have a learning difficulty assessment have an integrated assessment and a single Education, Health and Care Plan which is completed in a shorter time and without families having the stress of searching to get the support they need
• parents have greater control over the services they and their family use, with:
  • every family with an Education, Health and Care plan having the right to a personal budget for their support
  • parents whose children have an education, health and care plan having the right to seek a place at any state-funded school, whether that is a special or mainstream school, a maintained school, academy or Free School.

There's a DfE Press Release here, too.

Here is IPSEA's initial response.

How many children have SEN? Again.

Actually, I was googling "Brinks-Mat" and "Stephen Lawrence". Links between criminals and detectives in the two cases had been mentioned on BBC TV, last Saturday, as I was making myself a slice of cheese on toast for breakfast.

Searching for something quite different, in other words, as I find often happens Google threw up "Can 20 per cent of schoolchildren really have special needs?" - an article by "writer, biographer, journalist and broadcaster" Peter Stanford in yesterday's Daily Telegraph.

20% is some sort of average. Peter Stanford points out the difference between Richmond upon Thames (11.8% of primary pupils on the SEN register) and Liverpool (22.6%). On this blog, in October 2010, I noted DfE statistics that in primary schools boys overall were much more likely to be registered as having special educational needs (25.4% with or without a statement) than girls (14.3%): "Are we failing 1 in 4 boys said to have special educational needs?"

I concluded:

I don't know about you, but it strikes me that if as many as 1 in 4 boys have "some form of special educational need' then there is something seriously wrong with our perspective on schooling or on children or on special educational needs or on all three.

Peter Stanford, having asked the question, an important one in my view - perhaps the most important one in the five billion pound (and more) industry that is SEN - seems as perplexed as to the answer as anyone. "But why, if numbers of statements are falling, does the money spent on the system continue to rise?  ... No one seems clear about what is going on, least of all anyone at the Department for Education."

Pointing the finger in turn at parents or teachers or local authorities or money, reviewing possible explanations, hardly seems satisfactory. Perhaps it's the whole system, the whole apparatus, the whole concept? In 2005, even Baroness Warnock, who helped devise the SEN system, repudiated it.

In a blog posting on her website, Special Needs Jungle, author,former television journalist and Mum, Tania Tirraoro, who was interviewed for the Telegraph article, sets out "What I really think".

What I said when speaking to Peter but didn’t make it into the piece, was that I believe that the pressures of today’s society on children, parents and teachers are immense ...

(Some children) may or may not actually have special educational needs to start with, but if their home life is insecure and they live in poverty, it is sure to have an impact on their learning. They may just need attention and nurturing to give them self-esteem and confidence in themselves.

Tania is surely right, as you must read for yourself. But I still cannot bring myself to think it right to categorise 1 in 4 boys (never mind 1 in 5 children) as having a 'special educational need'. The term, the concept, the whole system is unwieldy, inefficient and does not serve the education of children, their parents or those who would teach them.

 

Some first responses to Queen's Speech - SEN

While we wait until next week, when we are promised DfE will put some detail, here are a few first responses to the Queen's Speech. If you know of more, please leave the link in a Comment below.

Nasen (formerly the National Association for Special Educational Needs): "Nasen welcomes the announcement that proposals outlined in the Green Paper will be moved forward during this session of parliament."

Follow Your Dreams - CEO Sue Sugarman's response to the Queen's Speech: "Although I don’t see how these changes give more “choice” to families, I certainly see the benefit of making the process simpler."

IPSEA: "IPSEA welcomes the aspiration of the Government ...  However, IPSEA’s advice lines and casework are already throwing up problems in local authorities’ Pathfinder pilots of the processes which the Government intends to set out in the Children and Families Bill"

Mencap: "We now have serious concerns about the Government's desire to address the crisis in social care and move beyond the limited remit of the draft Bill. People with a learning disability and their families are increasingly unable to live full and independent lives".

Nursery World (has several quotes from other children's organisations): "Many of the proposals have been outlined by ministers previously".

ACT Now for Autism: "Act Now For Autism fears that once again children with autism, many of whom currently don't have a Statement, will continue to have their complex needs ignored"

EDCM (Every Disabled Child Matters) "Srabani Sen, EDCM Board Member: "However, we are deeply concerned by plans to restrict access .... We are concerned that this will leave many children with social care and/or health needs without support".

Scope: "We are, however, pleased that the Government has recognised the need for greater support for children and families, particularly disabled families, and plans to develop a Children and Families Bill."

NAHT (National Association of Head Teachers) Russell Hobby, general secretary: “We welcome giving parents a sense of control and choice ..."  [I have to say, don't you just love that "... sense of ... "?]

 

 

Queen's Speech & SEN - more next week

We can, next week, expect DfE Ministers to set out their detailed response to consultation on the SEND Green Paper "Support and Aspiration" and a timetable for what they are describing as the biggest reform of special education in 30 years.

In a DfE press release, accompanying the Queen's Speech to Parliament yesterday, the Minister, Sarah Teather, says, "In our Green Paper, Support and Aspiration, we set out plans for the biggest SEN reforms for 30 years – giving parents real choice and joining up health, education and social care services." (In fact, the SEND Green Paper does not set out "real choice" for parents when it comes to choice of school; as a careful reading shows, it sets out arrangements for expressing a preference; not at all the same thing, but let's not quibble here just now.)

Yesterday's Queen's Speech, which sets out the Government's proposed legislative programme for the coming year, announced "My government will propose measures to improve provision for disabled children and children with special educational needs." (Full text: Guardian)

A Children and Families Bill, to be introduced "early in 2013", will cover SEN, adoption, family law, shared parenting and the Office of the Children's Commissioner. The key measures of the SEN element will be:

• replacing SEN statements and Learning Difficulty Assessments (for 16- to 25-year-olds) with a single, simpler 0-25 assessment process and Education, Health and Care Plan from 2014
• providing statutory protections comparable to those currently associated with a statement of SEN to up to 25 in further education – instead of it being cut off at 16
• requiring local authorities to publish a local offer showing the  support available to disabled children and young people and those with SEN, and their families
• giving parents or young people with Education, Health and Care Plans the right to a personal budget for their support
• introducing mediation for disputes and trialling giving children the right to appeal if they are unhappy with their support.

The SEND Green Paper was published in March 2011. In September 2011, DfE announced arrangements for 20 'pathfinder' projects, covering 31 local authorities, to pilot the Green Paper reforms. "The interim evaluation will be published in autumn 2012 and final evaluation in 2013. The work of the pathfinders will continue to inform the changes we make to legislation through the Bill."

And that's about it. You can read more on the Department for Education website, where there are all the links mentioned above: "Children and Families Bill to give families support when they need it most".

Me? I'd like to see a Bill setting out truly radical changes in the education and upbringing of children with cerebral palsy - and I'm talking training, pedagogy and curriculum as well as the role of local authorities in assessment, provision and funding.But that's a debate for another day. Alternatively, you can read Scope's first response, in the form of a statement from CEO Richard Hawkes "Scope responds to the Queen's Speech".

We'll have to wait and see the detail. The measures for extending assessment and planning to 25 years particularly interest me, given Paces' long-standing commitment to achieving 'independent adulthood as active citizens' - and how that provision is to be funded. "Ambitious About Autism", "welcomes the commitment made in today’s Queen’s Speech to extend the legal right to educational support up to the age of 25 for young disabled people". On the other hand, these provisions need to relate to the provisions of the also-proposed draft bill to modernise adult care and support, about which Mencap has this to say "We now have serious concerns about the Government's desire to address the crisis in social care and move beyond the limited remit of the draft Bill. People with a learning disability and their families are increasingly unable to live full and independent lives".

To end this post on a positive note, then. This, which I agree with, from Mark Atkinson, Director of Campaigns, Policy and Research at Ambitious about Autism on extending entitlement to 25 years: “This reform has the potential to revolutionise the life chances of tens of thousands of young people with autism who are currently denied access to any educational opportunities beyond school."

More next week ......

Evolving role of local authorities in education - interim research report

In case, like me, you missed this recent publication, joint research from DfE and Local Government Association:  "Interim research report (PDF, 31 pages, 768KB)

"This interim research report identifies the key issues facing councils and schools in nine council areas as increasing numbers of schools become academies. It explores how councils are adapting to greater school autonomy in three areas for which they are responsible:

    Ensuring a sufficient supply of school places.

    Tackling underperformance in schools and ensuring high standards.

    Supporting vulnerable children.

I have consistently argued that as the number of mainstream schools converting to Academy status rises, to approach 100%, so the place of non-maintained and independent special schools and the role of local authorities will inevitably change. It is good to see this report give some weight to this - until recently - unorthodox view:

For the most part, the local authority statutory role in relation to Special Educational Needs has not changed significantly in the face of a more autonomous school system. Local authorities currently remain responsible for the statementing process, and schools recognise the need for this to be managed through an objective and independent body.

The one area of the role which is set to change in the light of greater school autonomy and increasing numbers of academies is how the local authority commissions special school placements when increasing numbers of special schools are academies.

My own view is that "greater school autonomy and increasing numbers of academies" is potentially a 'game-changer' in all sorts of ways, some not yet envisaged, for local authorities, special education and - perhaps most importantly - for parents. The position - a breach of Human Rights? - that exceptionally denies parents of children with SEN the choice of schooling being granted to other parents is not, in the long-term, sustainable as policy, given greater autonomy and independence of increasing numbers of academies.

 

David Cameron again on reducing the big state - but what of SEN?

Recently (The 3rd lesson David Cameron learned ... ), I drew attention here to statements by David Cameron in 2009; the five lessons he had learned as a parent of a disabled child. In particular: "The third lesson is that we've got to make it easier for parents to get the right education for children with disabilities" and going on to say "We're seriously looking at how we can resolve that [structural] conflict of interest so that parents don't have to enter into such a huge battle for special education." I observed that there is powerful lobby in favour of this structural conflict of interest.

David Cameron, writing in today's Daily Telegraph (We are tearing down the big state) returns to the broad theme of putting people "in control of their choices and chances in life" writing "It’s simple. I want us to end once and for all the closed state monopoly where central government decides what you get, and how you get it. In its place, I want truly open public services, where people can choose the hospitals and schools they go to, with the right information at their fingertips to make that choice ...." and he evidences education where ".... 24 free schools opened last year, and another 63 have been approved. By 2015, there will be 100,000 extra school places available. To make that choice more meaningful, parents can now express a preference for any state-funded school, even when they live outside the catchment area – and local authorities have a duty to grant such requests if there is space" (my italics).

Not yet for parents of children with SEN apparently. I have also been reading "School Funding Reform: next steps towards a fairer system" published this week by the DfE. The "new methodology for funding high need pupils" of which the DfE speaks on its consultation web page, includes a very familiar provision, the cause of many structural conflicts of interest:

".... the local authority in which the child lives ..... will continue to make decisions about the placement of pupils and students with high-level SEN or LDD based on whether the placement represents appropriate provision and an efficient use of resources." para 3.7.2 (my italics)

Indeed, the DfE is absolutely clear that its "new methodology": 

"has also been designed to operate within the current statutory frameworks that operate in these sectors in relation to assessment, commissioning, admissions and accountability. None of the funding reforms set out in this chapter would of themselves alter these existing statutory frameworks, or require such alteration in order to be implemented." para 3.2.5

In short, the DfE is not proposing a funding methodology that drives the parent choice (as a distinct from the SEN Green paper offer of parents merely stating a preference), advocated by the Prime Minister, in 2009 and now. The structural conflict remains, for now.

First report of Labour SEN review - and actually there was something interesting

Special Needs Jungle reports "Special needs experts offer views for Labour's SEN plicy review". There are no surprises, but there was indeed one something worth a moment's attention which I copy below. First, the event itself - as Andrew Sutton recently wrote on Facebook 

"UK: SEN CHEWING OVER THE SAME OLD NOURISHMENT-FREE GRISTLE
The Labour Party is holding yet another weary review of 'special educational needs'. Look at its agenda, if you can bear to: http://www.nasen.org.uk/latestnews/?news=109

Not a hint that the system has no idea of what it is doing, employs 'teachers' with no training in pedagogy, and does not even grasp that this results in the fundamental problem of children's not being taught.

Just to reinforce the point, Andrew then added the Comment:

Why are they doing this anyway. The Government surely is about to publish a White Paper. The old agendas are all trampled flat, nobody has anything to say. Haven't people anything better to do to fill their (highly) paid time?

So it's good to find a nugget of something interesting - and not just because I too am a Churchill Fellow - recipient in 2007 of a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust travel fellowship (and yes, you should check it out). Here it is: an inspirational mother and daughter:

One inspirational mother and daughter team are Nadia Clark and her mother, Katie. Nadia has cerebral palsy and is deaf. She uses a vocal synthesiser to speak, but her indefatigable spirit and intelligence shines through and she soon hopes to go to University. She is the recipient of a Winston Churchill Foundation grant to research alternative methods of communication.

Her mother, Katie, is a woman of great determination and she has worked tirelessly to support her daughter. She spent two years looking for a school that would take Nadia, moving her family across the country to do so. She later formed the parent-carer forum, One Voice Communicating Together and believes the future for SEN & disability services should be about “looking at things differently and more creatively”. She stressed, and I thoroughly agree with this, the need for good emotional support for families in the early years, saying supporting parents’ self-esteem is vital if they are to be able to be strong for their children.

Each will find their own inspiration and interest in their story. As one who has just seen his daughter aged 29 years move out of the family home, I can assure anyone that "good emotional support" is essential for parents (... and grandparents ... and siblings) well beyond "the early years".

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You can find Special Needs Jungle's ever interesting updates on SEN on twitter as @SpcialNdsJungle and also on Facebook, though I haven't checked the link.

BTW I don't know how to link to Andrew's specific Status update on Facebook, but if you go searching for it, it was on Monday this week.

 

The 3rd lesson David Cameron learned as a parent of a disabled child: July 2009

As we wait for the Department of Education to publish the SEN White Paper, here is an echo from July 2009, an article in The Independent "David Cameron: the five lessons I learned as a father of a disabled child - and intend to put into practice".

This was his third lesson:

"The third lesson is that we've got to make it easier for parents to get the right education for children with disabilities. So many parents get stuck on a merry-go-round of assessments, appeals and tribunals to get a statement of special needs and the extra help their child needs. There's a structural reason for that. The people that decide who gets specialist education – the local education authorities – are also the ones who pay for it. We're seriously looking at how we can resolve that conflict of interest so that parents don't have to enter into such a huge battle for special education."

A structural conflict of interest is a serious matter. But local authorities being both assessors and funders isn't the whole of that conflict. They are also providers of most SEN school placements and commissioners much of the rest. Free Schools were meant to address this, putting parental choice first. But proposers of Special Free School required Local Authority approval and the SEN Green Paper systematically confused "choice" and "preference", holding out the latter to parents.

There is such a powerful lobby in favour of this "structural conflict of interest" that even a Prime Minister with knowledge of the "huge battle for special education" has been as yet unable to defeat it. This story has still some distance to run.

Are we being crazy enough? #CondEd

My last post, following Steve Hilton's departure from Number 10, asked "Why aren't we being more radical?" I was thinking of Paces, of course, but also of conductive education in the UK in general.

We had two workshops at Paces this week. I tried on both days to remind Trustees, managers, staff and parents that conductive education is not just another "alternative therapy", one option among many, but a radical departure, a quantum leap forward in the understanding and practice of the education and upbringing of children with motor dysfunctions.

Here's another Steve, the late Steve Jobs:

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

If we are the ones who really are going to "change the world" for children and adults with motor dysfunctions, are we being crazy enough?

Actually, another thought occurs to me. Where are the young ones, conductive education's young crazies?  Don't just leave it to the old men like me! Write to me! Come to Paces! Let's make Paces a crazies place to be!

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#CondEd is a twitter hashtag