June 5, 2020, Epping Forest Guardian: Anderson School parents plea for Essex County Council's help https://www.eppingforestguardian.co.uk/news/18499015.anderson-school-parents-plea-essex-county-councils-help/ Parents with severely autistic children are calling on Essex County Council (ECC) to step in after a charity suddenly pulled the plug on a school for autistic children. The National Autistic Society, which was handed the keys to Anderson School in September 2017, announced in April it was closing in the face of “very challenging circumstances”, including prolems with recruitment and retention of staff. Ofsted rated the £15million [$19M US] school, that was built on the former Spurs training ground in Chigwell, as ‘inadequate’ in April and the charity believes it could take years to bring the school up to the appropriate level.... …. The purpose-built school opened in 2017, funded by the Anderson Foundation and run by the National Autistic Society. ... The NAS’ decision has left around 50 students with no suitable school place for the next school year. ... A statement from the school’s chief executive, Caroline Stevens, in April said: “Despite putting in a lot of energy and expertise to try to improve the school, we have sadly not been able to turn the situation around. We know it could take years to bring the school up to the level we expect, and that would simply not be fair on our students, their families or carers. “So, we have taken the very difficult decision to close the school at the end of the summer term, in July. This is never a decision that I would want to make, but I believe it is the right decision for our students’ long-term education and wellbeing.” Mr Forrest added: “The parents got told at the same time as the council. “And they are being very cagey about the reasons for closing – they say it would take too long to bring it up to the standard the children deserve, but instead they don’t have a school at all. “What’s worse not having a great education or no education at all? “That why most of us parents don’t believe that as a storyline.”…
top of page
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Loss of Brain Trust features over 9,000 news stories published worldwide since January, 2017
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
CHECK OUT MY SUBSTACK:
https://annedachel.substack.com/
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
Search
bottom of page
Comments