Aug 19, 2019, Portsmouth News: Councils defend inclusive education stance as number of children in special schools rises https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/education/councils-defend-inclusive-education-stance-as-number-of-children-in-special-schools-rises-1-9040604 AN ALARMING rise in the number of children enrolled at special schools has raised concerns about whether local authorities are doing all they can to provide an inclusive mainstream education. The number of children attending Hampshire special schools increased from 2,485 in 2012 to 2,904 in 2019 whilst over the same period the number of special educational needs (SEN) children fell from 29215 to 21648 – a decrease of more than a quarter (26 per cent). The county reflects the national picture in which SEN children in mainstream education has fallen by 24 percent while the number attending special schools has risen by nearly a third. Disability campaign group, The Alliance for Inclusive Education, accused the Government of an “on-going attack on disabled people’s rights to be included rather than segregated from society”. The trend comes despite the introduction five years ago of the Children and Families Act which stated that SEN children should where possible be given a place in mainstream classes. Hampshire County Council has defended its stance, citing an increase in children with Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs) and severity of needs which can’t be catered for in mainstream schools. Councillor Roz Chadd, executive member for education and skills, said: ‘We expect the majority of pupils with a learning difficulty or disability should have their educational needs met in mainstream schools. However, in recent years there has been a significant rise in the number of children with an EHCP in Hampshire, and while some will be very well supported within one of the county’s mainstream schools, many others will require the expertise that only a specialist school can provide.’… Portsmouth City Council have said that changes to the assessment process have resulted in less children being identified with SEN but a greater proportion of those children assessed as having more complex needs….
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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.)
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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
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