Education needs a total overhaul, not just new faces and minds | Letters | The Guardian

Letter: Helen Parker says brilliant teachers of all ages are ground down by the numbers and by administrators who lack imagination, courage and leadership

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Yes, education does need a complete overall for what does our current education Syllabus produce, well not much, except ‘sausages’.

Sausages, well, Yes, for they are there to ensure students receive an education for them to pass exams to get a Certificate, which in reality is there to ensure a few to go to university and maybe some more to get a job.

But for many students it does virtually nothing, certainly not to enable students to live their lives. Does it provide for students to learn life skills, does the syllabus enable students to learn anything which will be useful in their forthcoming lives.

Well I believe not, for it did not for me, not that my school life was wasted for it was not, but that was down to me not school. There was a school Master whose job content included to enable students leaving school to have some idea what they would be doing when they left school. But for me that did not occur and it was up to myself to propel myself into a career into what I had no idea was was about. However, from my own endeavours I did come through and received the promotions that I wished for.

Was I lucky, I feel I was, were there any students who find their school lives were wasted, perhaps this was down to themselves , but the schools should be there to help them.

The teachers do their best, but the system is what is wrong, for education is not centred on students, but on a system, which assumes all students are the same, ‘one fits all’, which is never going to be right.

As per usual in the UK, the money available is way insufficient, yet another area where it is not, for there is health and certainly social care to name two more and there will be many other areas.

Again it is the system, for systems need to change for they should be there for everyone, but currently the system is there for the system.

Source: Education needs a total overhaul, not just new faces and minds | Letters | The Guardian

After A Year At Home, Children With Disabilities Deserve Priority Vaccination

Again persons with learning disabilities are getting a raw deal, why is this always so?

If not adukts it is children, why all this discrimination, for they are citizens as well and we should all be treated equally

Same Difference

They disappeared more than a year ago and many are still out of sight. When the pandemic hit, 53,000 under-18s in England with disabilities that made them vulnerable to coronavirus began to shield away at home.

Kept off school long after their classmates went back, and away from friends, they have found their childhoods put on hold. And while the vaccine rollout gave high-risk adults some reprieve in the new year, those aged under 16, who have not been eligible for any vaccine, are still living in limbo.

Yet we have barely heard a thing about disabled children’s plight through the coronavirus crisis – a silence that has not been helped by the faux-reassuring narrative that “no healthy child” has died from the virus. And now that the UK regulator has at last approved the Pfizer vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, this blind spot is becoming…

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Parents Fear For Pupils’ Mental State At £53,000 Fee School

This is all very worrying in any school let alone a special school for children with autism. I have had my doubts for sometime about CQC inspections, for they did not notice the abuses at Winterborne so can you really believe their inspection reports.

I inspections and reports need to be greatly improved for all concerned.

Same Difference

A private special needs school, whose directors include businessmen associated with the Winterbourne View care home scandal, has been accused of putting profit ahead of pupils’ needs.

Annual fees paid by councils to send pupils to Leaways School in east London are £53,000 – higher than Eton.

One parent told a BBC investigation she is pulling out her son as she fears for his mental state if he stays there.

However, Leaways denied the claims that it put money ahead of welfare.

In a statement, the school said: “We strongly refute the suggestion profit is ever put ahead of the needs of children.

“The vast majority of families are happy with our school and they see their children doing very well here.”

The school says it was “deeply saddened to hear the opinions of a small minority… of our parent and staff community”.

‘Sold a dream’

One is Donna, who…

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Katie Price: Harvey And Me

Anybody’s son or daughter moving on in life is a stressful and worrying situation, but even more so in respect of persons with autism and some other conditions. This is because parents and the children have spent years getting to know each other and now in a moment in time great change is occurring. Even when all is going smoothly, there is always going to be that deep down worry, what can happen next, have we covered everything and any others that may occur.

But life as to go on and nothing will ever be fully covered.

But with autism will the new surroundings and people within have sufficient knowledge to manage all that can occur and the answer is most likely not, all that everyone can do is the best available.

Same Difference

When faced with having to move their disabled child to a different school or college, families face difficult decisions. Now, reality TV star and ex-model, Katie Price, is on that journey with her eldest son, Harvey, who is about to make that transition.

It was a quiet 18th birthday for Harvey. There were balloons in the garden and presents were opened, including a frog lunchbox and an iPad. For a treat, Katie took him to one of his favourite places – the local train station.

“This is the best train ever. I love it,” Harvey says, taking photographs.

His birthday marks another milestone. It is time to leave school and find a college, a process the family has filmed for BBC One documentary, Katie Price: Harvey and Me.

“It’s pretty predictable to know what will happen with the other kids,” Katie says, who has four other children. “But with…

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95% of decisions in favour of parents, but nobody wins at the SEND Tribunal – Special Needs Jungle

Unfortunately Local Authorities (LAs) are not only not working with the ‘best interests’ of children under ‘SEND’ or ‘SENDIST’, as they also are not in many assessments of Need for both children and adults.

Are they doing this deliberately, I feel they are, but not because they are mean and wish to do do, although some may, no it is because LAs have been left desperately short of funding, due to 10 years of austerity cuts and the the additional costs of COVID-19.

In fact, social care has never been sufficiently funded and this is purely down to successive Government in depriving LAs of sufficient funding, not only for social care, but many other essential services.

Also when Governments put additional responsibilities on LAs, the Government fail to provide the additional funding to allow the LAs to successfully manage these additional responsibilities.

To a large extent this is also the care with health care (NHS), but no where to the same degree.

Is it that these Governments do not understand LAs and especially Social Care, well to some extent this can be so, but they also see LAs as a means to save on funding, as they do not fully understand the needs.

This has been recently be shown in the Governments handling of PPE during this COVID-19 pandemic. for they could not see the need to have a large stock of PPE, but would assume that they just need supplies to cover the usual demand, and felt if that demand increase it would be easy to obtain additional supplies, which COVID-19 has proved is a false premise.

But like LAs in their dealings with SEND and SENDIST, they never learn and only look to make saving, when, effectively saving are not there to be made, it is pure incompetence.

So when, it is clear needs are not being covered or they spend money they can ill afford to in defence of indefensible legal cases, this leads LAs to be even more short of funding, rather than cut their losses and pay or provide what they should have done initially.

This, in turn, creates an impossible situation for the persons in need and their families, who are already in very stressful situations and they should not be subjected to immense further stress from LAs and technically Governments.

The leaders of LAs in challenging the Tribunal’s to be changed is far from the answer, but LAs see this has the easiest option.

For the LAs are completely ‘at fault’ and so are the Government, but to challenge the Government for more substantial is much more difficult.

In addition the need to have Social Care, which is effectively as important as health care and could be more so, is far from recognised by Government and unfortunately a sizeable portion of the UK population. For, if you are not in need of Social care, many will not see its importance, that is, until they require it for themselves or for a loved family member.

Most people use health care. but not the same proportion use social care, so social care is not recognise as a very essential service, when it really is.

This Government needs to do, urgently, to reverse the non-actions of itself and many previous Governments and immediately provide all the funding for LAs to provide all that is required within Social Care, which will include SEND and SENDIST.

For this reason and many more, I created the petition, Solve the crisis in Social Care,

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care.

Please show your support for children and adults in need of social care, by signing the petition and then sharing.

 

Source: 95% of decisions in favour of parents, but nobody wins at the SEND Tribunal – Special Needs Jungle

Why Is Basic Decency Towards Learning Disabled People Remarkable?

I agree, unfortunately caring and carers with regards to Social Care does not get a good press and the Governments attitude to Social Care goes a long way to put social Care in not a good light.

But for those who have a need for Social Care it is a very important lifeline.

As to doing your duty being treated as exceptional, well unfortunately this appears to be so as there are so many examples of bad care and in some instances very bad care.

Winterbourne was mentioned and even if this was the exception, then that would be bad, but it is not the exception, for bad care happens daily.

But a lot of it goes unreported as those in need of care and their family are scared of losing the care they have, no matter how bad it is.

I facilitate a Learning Disability Carers group and when the carers are talking I heard some instances of bad care, but they do not wish to allow me to take it further as they have been advised that the care would be withdrawn if they do, leaving them with no care at all.

I am a carers representative on our local Learning Disabilities Partnership Board and I have request a presentation from the Council run inspection teak, who should be inspecting Care Providers, for I believe they are not looking deeply enough into actual care delivery.

As to the CQC, I feel they spend to much time on looking at records, for anything can be written down, which may or may not mirror the actual care delivery.

So, I will start with the local council team and then ask for the CQC to present.

Care is in crisis for a large number of reasons, of which funding is a major concern.

For social Care has never been sufficiently funded from 1970, when it was brought under the control of local Authorities, and well before 1970. Then we had 10 years of austerity and now COVID-19 making the crisis even worse.

The reference to 1970 was when Social Care when brought under the control of Local Authorities (LAs) for before that it was a ‘mishmash’ of sources. Some LAs, but others included Charities, voluntary organisations, health and many others.

But as well as Funding there is

insufficient staff
abysmal pay
poor working conditions
unsocial hours
insufficient time
lack of training and skills
and others.

To many people caring is seen as an unskilled profession, well, if it is done badly then it is, but to provide good quality care is is far from it.

For, as we all are, persons in need of care are individuals and not objects, for they have feelings, they have choices, may need emotional support, routine to be followed, knowledge of a persons conditions, such as dementia, learning disabilities, autism and many others and in most cases a mixture of conditions.

So, in caring you can not, or should not, assume that caring for one person will be exactly the same as the next one and could need to change on a daily basis, or even more frequently.

So, it is a very skilled profession, for which the salary is nowhere sufficient, as caring has been left so short for far too long. Government promises have been broken so many times and social care has been left to sink, well sinking is not infinite and will come to a base from which it will not recover.

That base is very near and in some instances has been reached.

Action was urgently required, yesterday and certainly today, for tomorrow could well be too late.

Support for my petition, Solve the crisis in Social Care,

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care

Same Difference

In late July 2019, I tweeted asking families with autistic or learning disabled children to share their experience of “sparkling” actions by health and social care professionals. I was writing a book about how professionals could make a difference in the lives of children and their families, and the manuscript was woefully negative.

The tweets started appearing and the thread grew across the next few weeks. They included extraordinary examples of what I came to call “pockets of brilliance”. An administrator who included pug memes in the appointment letters for a dog-loving young patient. Professionals who were prepared to sit on the stairs so a child could stay in their bedroom during a visit. The GP who told one mother: “I don’t know very much about autism, but I promise you that I will do all I can to learn.” Another GP who rang a mother in the evening after…

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Shielders Need The Support Of A Mayor

This Government appears to ignore the problems experienced by vulnerable and at risk people in all that they do and have done for years, even prior to COVID-19.

Is this a deliberate action or do they just not understand the problems people are experiencing, however, no matter what it is extremely worrying that this Government have this abandonment policy.

Now which is it?

Initially, I believe it was, more likely a case of not understanding the problem, but since then much has been said to bring these problems to the attention of the Government.

But, in many aspects there has been an ‘air of indifference’ by this Government. For they may say the required words, but the lack of appropriate actions, speaks so loudly.

So, effectively it is a mixture of both, resulting in the abandonment policy.

It is, more than likely, that the people being abandoned by this Government will not be Conservative voters, so the Government thought could be, so what, if we abandon these people, to the eventual result of their death, for they will not increase the the support for Conservatives, but will reduce the support for the opposition parties.

But there is a major flaw in this. likely Government reasoning and that is new voters appearing due to the progression of age of new voters.

These new voters will have been following all these Government actions and are therefore, more than likely, to be offended and disgusted by the Governments actions and thereby, when they do attain the age of voting, they will be more inclined to support one of the opposition parties, than support the, current ruling, Conservative Party.

Or am I assuming too much insight thinking by the current Government and that they really are just ignorant dumbasses.

Same Difference

As coronavirus cases rise, headlines are dominated by northern leaders being forced by central government to accept inadequate financial aid packages. This is a shameful dereliction of duty by the Tories and is rightly attracting ire, both from regional mayors and the press. And yet it is striking that a similar thing is being done to another group – shielders – but with even less attention. New guidance for shielding for people at high risk because of underlying health conditions was released by the government last week, but without even a small offer of financial support. The new guidance advises “vulnerable people” in high alert areas to stay at home as much as possible, but offers no support to help them cope with paying the bills or accessing food and medicine. Even in the highest alert areas, if shielders are unable to do their jobs at home, the guidance only…

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Textbook Makes Autistic People ‘Sound Like Toddlers’

The UK education system is, in many respects, ‘not fit for purpose’, as it just gears children ready to gain examination results and obtain pieces of paper, which are only there to prove they can pass exams.

In no way does the UK education system get children ready for life outwith the education system.

Now it appears that some text books are also ‘not fit for purpose’ where will it all end.

For the mentioned text books are not only, ‘not fit for purpose’ but are exceedingly insulting to persons with Autism.

The education system is in dire need of being re-educated and without further delay.

Another aspect of life in the UK which is in dire need of change.

Same Difference

A publisher has said it will conduct an “immediate review” into an A Level textbook accused of being “deeply offensive to autistic people”.

Pearson’s A Level Psychology Revision Guide says children who have “tantrums” due to routine changes may be autistic.

The National Autistic Society called it “misleading” and has urged the publisher to correct the book.

It said: “A meltdown is not a tantrum. It is an intense response to an overwhelming situation.”

The revision guide, aimed at but not approved by the AQA exam board, says some autistic children “like to stick to the same routine, and little changes may trigger tantrums”.

But George, who is autistic and studying A level psychology says: “It makes us sound like toddlers.”

He says: “If that’s how they describe meltdowns what other inaccuracies are there going to be? Calling it ‘tantrum’ feels condescending.”

His concerns are echoed by Tom Purser, Head…

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Parents Want Full Time Return To School For SEN Children

These schools are continuing to feel they are the experts, but experts at what.

Maybe on schools procedure, maybe on educational subject matter, but certainly not on children with disabilities, for that will be the parents and possibly the respective children, but still these schools are showing herd processing.

When will they realise that children are individuals and especially children with disabilities, for what maybe right and good for one, maybe wrong and maybe bad for another.

The schools are also ignoring Department of Education (DoE) guidance, which recommends all children come back fulltime.

But as the Government,early on in the coronavirus pandemic, introduced the Coronavirus Act 2020, which suspended numerous Local Authorities responsibilities, these actions are now coming home to roost.

To enable equality persons with disabilities require more not less, but this Government is unable to understand this. What I am not sure about is, could this be accidental or even more worrying, they already knew the consequences of these actions.

With this Government people with disabilities will never achieve equality, in fact equality will be even more distant.

Same Difference

Parents of children with special educational needs have told the BBC that their children are not being offered the same access to education as their peers because of the restrictions around coronavirus.

The BBC’s Nikki Fox spoke to Dawn Ashton who said she wanted a full-time education for her son Lewis who has been offered two days at Astley Park School.

Headteacher Kieran Welsh said a phased return would allow children to adapt to the new school routine.

“The positive impact of the phased return on children’s learning and well-being has been incredible and a joy to witness.”

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The complicated legacy of the Pilgrims is finally coming to light 400 years after they landed in Plymouth : The Conversation

Descendants from the Pilgrims were keen to highlight their ancestors’ role in the country’s founding. But their sanitized version of events is only now starting to be told in full.

Source: The complicated legacy of the Pilgrims is finally coming to light 400 years after they landed in Plymouth : The Conversation