[senco-forum] Re: Devon SEN Pupils face 'Bleak Future'

'The DCFS said that, for an LA like ours we should have 360.'

The first bit that bothers me is that the DCSF (Schools come before 
Families, because it's much more difficult to identify quantitative measures 
to show how Government has improved standards in Families) should see fit to 
tell you how many special school places an Authority 'like yours' should 
have available.

'SEN kids will contribute exactly what to the economy?'

Now there is one way in which SEN children contribute to the economy 
greatly.
Employment.  Governments employ rafts of people (including you and me both) 
both to invent, maintain and administer the sprawling machinery of 
legislation, guidance and initiatives, and to work with the kids and the 
adults with SEN themselves (although there seem to be more combined 
inventors, system maintenance people and administrators than there are 
workers with people).

Think of all those people employed within the DCSF who crunch data to 
produce pearls such as, 'statistically, based on all of the data, and never 
mind how many children you have with SEN, you should be expected to cater 
for this number of children, because that's what the computer says.'  What a 
great system.

Think of those who are paid through taxes to write the programs for the 
computer; all those public servants who manage complex SEN systems; think of 
the legal profession and the employment opportunities and revenue that it 
garners through the existence of SEN children.

You may well be right that the G + T kids are the future prosperity of the 
country, unless of course they decide to emigrate, and always assuming that 
the education system also produces people to operate the bright ideas and 
make them work.

Brian - it's been SO dull without you.  And didn't that Martin have it 
coming?

Biff

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "brian hepburn" <hepburnbrian at hotmail.com>
To: <senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 8:41 PM
Subject: RE: [senco-forum] Re: Devon SEN Pupils face 'Bleak Future'

The reason there's such a big spend on maintained and non-maintained special 
schools is that mainstream schools can't or won't meet those kids' needs.

There is a recognition from DCFS that special schools are necessary to meet 
the needs of a small number of kids. I don't think it's a great secret to 
say that in my neck of the woods we currently have 550 kids in 5 special 
schools. The DCFS said that, for an LA like ours we should have 360.

So why do we have ?% (I can't be bothered to work it out) more places 
currently? Inevitably, it's a long, complex story with an historical context 
that blurs into the mists of time.

But, bottom line, mainstream schools are going to have to pick up many more, 
in order to free up places in special schools who will ( and indeed are) 
picking up kids with more severe and complex needs. This wil reduce the 
numbers going out of city.

Will mainstream Heads and staff bleat about this? You bet. Is it fair? 
Answers on a postcard.

Did I read that staff are telling parents to send their kids elsewhere to 
get a better deal on SEN? How humiliating for those staff. They're saying to 
parents, I'm not able to teach your child. From the LA's point of view, it's 
a tough one to have land on your plate, when parents have been told their 
kid's not wanted at school X, try school Y instead. Try building bridges 
there.

Brian

Oh, did someone say G + T kids can get on with it and we should concentrate 
resources on SEN? Is this the same argument that states dustbin persons 
shouldn't subsidise students through Higher Ed?  They can pay for their own 
education through loans?

The G + T kids are the future prosperity of the country, SEN kids will 
contribute exactly what to the economy? What are the budgets given to 
support SEN and G + T? Maybe if they were reversed, the net effect would 
make us an economy fit for purpose with the dog wagging the tail, for a 
change.

 > To: Senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk> Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 
10:57:00 -0500> From: kngbrndn at aol.com> CC: > Subject: [senco-forum] Re: 
Devon SEN Pupils face 'Bleak Future'> > I guess this will be a familiar 
story nationwide:> > >  > > > > SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN FACING BLEAK FUTURE > 
 > > > 11:40 - 10 January 2008 > > > > > The future of Devon children with 
special educational needs (SEN) is "bleak" because of a lack of resources 
and underfunding, says a new report. > > > > Now, councillors have ordered 
an urgent review of education for SEN children after discovering spiralling 
costs and wide differences in provision across the county.> > > > There are 
currently just under 19,000 SEN children in Devon, 19 per cent of the school 
population.> > > > > And the cost of providing education and support to them 
is £35m a year, 11 per cent of the school budget, rising from £27m in 2006/6 
and £24m in 04/5.> > > > Officers say trying to pay for SEN services is 
becoming their biggest issue and they are unsure whether they will be able 
the balance the books in the future.> > > > Devon's 10 special schools are 
costing £14.7m this financial year - £18,829 per pupil - and the bill for 
sending Devon children to independent special schools has arisen from £4.4m 
in 2004/5 to £7.4m in 2007/8.> > > > Currently, 113 children attend 
independent special schools daily, 27 weekly, 31 yearly and 15 termly at a 
cost of £7,412,786.> > > > In future more children will be sent to 
mainstream schools.> > > > The children and young people's department has 
overspent by £4.5m this year, partly because it is paying for some SEN 
youngsters to be educated elsewhere.> > > > A Devon County Council task 
group found numbers of SEN pupils varied from under two per cent in some 
schools to up to 60 per cent in others, with the UK average 20 per cent.> > 
 > > The average cost of sending an SEN child in Devon to an independent 
school was £33,988 a year.> > > > It said there were also problems with 
schools not being prepared to take significant numbers of SEN pupils so 
children ended up going to independent special schools at far greater 
expense.> > > > The task group - councillors Saxon Spence, Roger Croad, 
Andrea Davis, Anne Fry and Vanessa Newcombe - spent the summer speaking to 
teachers, council officers, parents and children, visiting schools all 
around the county.> > > > Their report said investment in special needs 
provision would save the county council money in the long-term.> > > > The 
task group said it was "concerned" at the high differences in SEN numbers in 
different schools.> > > > It said: "Members questioned whether schools that 
had low numbers were avoiding taking their share of special needs pupils, or 
that there were different measures being utilised for establishing whether a 
young person had a special need."> > > > Some schools with a good reputation 
were "overloaded".> > > > Despite having to meet the cost of transport 
themselves, some parents were persuaded to send their children to schools 
out of their catchment area by teachers who recommended them as being 
excellent for SEN. In line with the law, most children with SEN were taught 
in mainstream classes but resources were stretched and council officers were 
finding it hard to train teachers.   > > >  > > > > > > > > > > > > >  > > > 
________________________________________________________________________> 
AOL's new homepage has launched. Take a tour at 
http://info.aol.co.uk/homepage/ now.
_________________________________________________________________
Telly addicts unite!
http://www.searchgamesbox.com/tvtown.shtml

-- 
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.1/1220 - Release Date: 11/01/2008 
18:09