Issues - Education
This is a key issue for many families, particularly when there are young children involved. It is really up to individual parents and their children as to what is best for them, in consultation with the various schools and the education board. There are advantages and disadvantages in different education systems, and these all have to be weighed up before any decision is made.
It could be that Special Education is the choice. Or it could be integrating their children into Mainstream Education (what is usually referred to as primary and secondary education). Or Inclusive Education, where children with disabilities/special needs are fully included in the education system. Here, their needs are met but also all the children learn from each other and value each other whether they have a disability or not. Concerns around education and getting what is best for their child are constantly to the fore for many parents.
If a parent is concerned about their child's educational development, she/he can ask the local education and library board for an assessment of their child's educational needs. This could involve the child's teacher at school, the educational psychologist, possibly other staff involved with the family, and perhaps the doctor and any health and social services staff. Sometimes this assessment can begin before the child actually enters primary school. The educational statement is a legal document detailing how these needs are to be met, including services which are not primarily educational. Information on this is available from schools and Education and Library Boards.
Several voluntary organisations can help with this process and advice can also be sought from the Special Educational Needs Department of the local Education and Library Board. It is important for parents and carers to realise the importance of the legality of this document and when finalising what actually goes into the statement, that they are content that all their child's need are accurately recorded. The statement is reviewed annually but can also be reviewed if there are changes in circumstances. Local educational and library boards should have information booklets/leaflets on this process.
There are five education boards to cover all of Northern Ireland; each of them have a specific department specialising in special educational needs (this includes the statementing process) for all types of schools, not just special educational schools. However, the boards have responsibility for a lot more than this. Under the Review of Public Administration (RPA) there will be changes in how services are run and which Boards are the appropriate ones to contact, please check first with your local Board:
Western Education and Library Board Tel: 028 8241 1411
SENAC Tel: 028 9079 5779
(Special Education Needs Advice Centre)
(General advice and information; limited opening hours from 10am on Mon, Wed and Fri but answering machine available.)
If parents/carers disagree with the decision of the Education and Library Board in regard to whether an educational statement is made or not, they can go to an Appeal Tribunal and seek support from SENAC. Again, other voluntary organisations can also help with this.
After the child's fourteenth birthday, the annual review then involves what is called the Transition Plan, as preparations begin with the young disabled person to plan ahead for the future. These reviews continue annually until the young person leaves school, usually between sixteen and nineteen. (See Transition Section.)
The educational development of a child and young person is important for all parents and the inclusion of disabled children in education is becoming more of a reality.
CHANGES IN EDUCATION
In 2005, changes were made to bring education in line with the Disability Discrimination Act to try and prevent discrimination on the grounds of disability in education. The Special Educational Needs and Disability (Northern Ireland) Order 2005, referred to as SENDO, came into place on 1 September 2005 and under it, special educational need is defined as:
“A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial long-term adverse effect on [a child’s/young person’s] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”
(This mirrors the definition under the Disability Discrimination Act.)
For children with special educational needs:
it strengthens their right to be educated in mainstream schools.
For schools (including colleges etc), it means that:
they will have to make reasonable adjustments to all policies, procedures and practices to ensure that disabled pupils/students are not disadvantaged
they do not treat disabled pupils/students less favourably than others (in relation to disability)
they have a duty to work towards making education more accessible for disabled pupils/students in relation to premises, curriculum and information.
These changes apply to pupils/students already in education but also to prospective pupils/students who may wish to attend them.
To help parents and children/young people there is information and advice available and complaints procedures in place. However, if a complaint is being initiated, ensure that the guidelines on timescales are understood, as these are clearly set out for these procedures.
Very few parents want to go down the long legal route to resolve issues – unless they really have to. As in any area where there is an issue or a complaint, it is best to try and get this resolved at local level first through the internal complaints procedure with the person or establishment which seems to be causing the difficulty, if this is at all possible.
Failing this, under this new education and disability legislation, there are groups and organisations that can be contacted for information and help, depending on the nature of your complaint and who it is against.
Advice And Information Service (WELB) |
Tel: 028 8241 1286 |
DARS |
Tel: 028 3751 2383 |
Equality Commission (Conciliation Service) |
Tel: 028 9050 0600 |
SENAC |
Tel: 028 9079 5779 |
SENDIST |
Tel: 028 9032 2894 |
Western Education And Library Board |
Tel: 028 8241 1411 |
