Special Educational Needs as an Area of Education - Essay Example

of the of the Concerned 3 January 2009 Special Educational Needs Special educational needs (SEN) is an area of education that is not only self explanatory so far as its name is concerned, but also has a legal definition and recognition in the UK. As per the 1996 Education Act of UK, a child is considered to have special educational needs if he/she has a learning difficulty that necessitates that a special educational provision should be made for him/her. A child is taken to be having a learning difficulty if: a. he/she faces a more then average level of difficulty while learning, as compared to other students in the same age group; or b. he/she has a difficulty that stops or obstructs him/her from exploiting the educational facilities and opportunities that are extended to the children of the same age group, in the schools situated in his/her neighbourhood or vicinity; or c. he/she hails from the compulsory school age and satisfies the above mentioned clauses a. and b., in the absence of the special educational provisions (Sec. 312 Education Act 1996) (Blackpool Council, 2009) According to the Section 312 of the Education Act of 1996, the term Special Educational Provisions signifies: educational provisions that are in addition to or happen to be inherently different from the educational provisions extended to the other students of the same age group in the academic institutions run by the Local Authorities (Blackpool Council, 2009). There are many children who face learning disabilities of one kind or other during their school years. Children having special educational needs may require extra help while dealing with a range of areas in their schools that include: schoolwork while making friends or associating with the grown ups maintaing a proper behaviour at school learning to organize themselves while trying to satisfy specific sensory or physical needs that may influence their performance at school while understanding or assimilating information and in reading, writing and arithmetic (Directgov, 2009). Generally speaking, making provisions for the children with special educational needs in the secondary education is a very humane approach towards education and is in consonance with the contemporary Western ideals pertaining to education. Every child deserves a chance to make the best of his/her abilities and the inherent disabilities in no way should hamper a child from pursuing proper education and academic aspirations. However, the concept of SEN took a relatively long time to become an integral part of the British education system. The Education Act of 1944 strived to define special educational needs in terms of concrete and discernable medical disabilities. The Warnock Report of 1978 that preceded the 1981 Education Act revolutionized the concept of special educational needs, that became much more inclusive in its approach and aspired to define the learning disabilities in terms of the "common educational goals for all children" (House of Commons Educational and Skills Committee, 2005: 11). The ensuing legislations stressed upon the need for not discriminating against the children with special educational needs. However, the 1981 Education Act failed to make ample financial provisions for statementing and teacher training. Through out the 90s despite the existence of Warnock Framework, there was a marked decline in the number of children in special schools and a steady rise in the number of children identified as having special educational needs (House of Commons Educational and Skills Committee, 2005: 13). The Labour government tried to align the state standing in consonance with the UN Statement on Special Needs Education 1994, in the form of 1997 Green Paper 'Excellence for All Children Meeting Special Educational Needs (House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, 2005: 11). Thus for the first time the state tried to make a genuine and sincere effort to incorporate the conclusions of international movements towards inclusive education in the English education system (House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, 2005: 12). Still the English education system continued to adhere to the guidelines extended by the 1978 Warnock Framework. Infact the government tried to improve upon the Warnock Framework by bringing in the SEN and Disability Act (SENDA) in 2001 and the SEN Strategy Removing Barriers to Achievement in 2004 (House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, 2005: 12). The overall budgetary allocations for SEN also appreciated in the following years from 2.8 billion to 4.1 billion. Still the existing framework has failed to deliver pragmatic and noteworthy results for more then 1.5 million children in the UK recognized as having special educational needs. The primary reason for this has been that though the UK education system has evolved rapidly over the years, the comparatively stagnant Warnock SEN Framework has miserably failed to keep pace with it (House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, 2005: 12). The government seems to be quiet confused on its policies pertaining to the children with special educational needs. Though their exist marked similarities between the 2004 SEN Strategy Removing Barriers to Achievement, the Every Child Matters vision paper and the aims stated in the 1978 Warnock Framework, the fact is that the Warnock Framework has utterly failed to achieve its aims till date (House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, 2005: 13). Infact Baroness Warnock drafted an article in July 2005, pressing for an urgent revision of the Warnock Framework, so as to identify the connections between social disadvantages and SEN (House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, 2005: 13). The role of the SEN Coordinator (SENCO) is of utmost importance in the mainstream schools. SENCO not only collaborates with the governing body and the head teacher in a school to determine the planning and implementation of SEN policy, but also assesses the magnitude of provisions available in a school, which are required to boost the performance of the children with SEN (SENCO Handbook, 2001, Section 2). Considering the fact that the implementation of any SEN policy calls for a close cooperation between all the concerned individuals in a school, SENCO facilitates a working coordination between teachers, support staff, parents and other related agencies (SENCO Handbook, 2001, Section 2). SENCO closely monitors the quality of teaching in a school and sets the targets for achievement. SENCO also performs an advisory role in a school. SENCO oversees the records of all the children that are identified as having special educational needs. The Learning Support Department in a school helps to meet the aspirations of students with special educational needs and works in tandem with the mainstream staff. One main objective of the Learning Support Department is to give a customized and individualized support and assistance to every student with special educational needs. Thus the Learning Support Department brings in a personal touch to the facilities extended to the students with SEN. Learning Support Department also ensures a better coordination between mainstream teachers, parents, learning support staff and the outside agencies and professionals. Learning Support Department in an institution supports the students having a range of disabilities like attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, hearing disabilities, Asperger's Syndrome, etc. Practically speaking, Learning Support Department can assist the pupils with SEN in a number of ways. It can inform and educate the parents about various therapies available for the children with specific learning difficulties. It provides special ESOL support to the children whose first language is not English (The Edinburgh Academy, 2007). It can keep a close vigil on the overall history of the students with SEN who are expected to join a school and can perform various types of screening tests to identify the students with learning difficulties. Learning Support Department holds regular meetings with the parents and the mainstream staff to know about their concerns with regards to the children having SEN. TAs can play a pivotal role in supporting the teaching and learning of the students with SEN. They can assist in the monitoring of the students and can extend crucial advice to the teachers and the parents pertaining to the students with SEN. TAs can ensure and support a close liaison between the teachers, parents and the external agencies and professionals. They can help in organizing meetings between parents, teachers and the school administration. TAs can assume the responsibility for specific areas of need related to the training and mentoring of the pupils with SEN. They can deliver intervention programs for specific students. TAs also help in the assessment of individual students. TAs help in designing curriculum for the students with specific needs. Equal opportunities in education assure a just and vibrant democratic society. It is imperative for the government, NGOs and concerned citizens in the UK to understand that in a welfare state it is imperative to assure that all the children get ample opportunities and facilities to realize their potential and intrinsic talent. Thus the education system aspiring allegiance to such an ideal must not be straight jacketed and monolithic in its framework. Now is the time for the statutory and private instruments in the UK to realize the relevance of SEN oriented education in the British Society. References Riding, RJ, and Zhang, L 2001, Perspectives on Thinking, Learning and Cognitive Styles. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Learning Support at Edinburgh Academy, The Edinburgh Academy, viewed 3 Jan. 2009, Social Educational Needs, House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, Viewed, 3 Jan. 2009, The Role of SENCO in Mainstream Schools, SEN Code, viewed 3 Jan. 2009, What are Special Educational Needs, Directgov, UK, viewed 3 Jan. 2009, What is the legal definition of Special Educational Needs, Blackpool Council, UK, viewed 3 Jan. 2009, Read More