Opinions on special needs schools
 

In my opinion I don’t think special needs schools are the best for people with disabilities. The reason is because this is also from experience and talking to loads of others about this topic. I think special needs schools or colleges etc dont train people with with disabilities with the outside world. I feel like they stick them into one group with others that have disabilities and they don’t give them much. That isn’t a bad thing but I do think that students with disabilities need to communicate and socialise with students who go mainstream schools. I understand that students don’t like mainstream schools due to being bullied or the fear of it and that is understandable. However I do think I’m not sure if any schools do this now but I think that mainstream schools should be teaching special education. That way students who go mainstream schools who don’t have disabilities would understand what it’s like for someone with a disability or a condition. That way students with no disabilities could help special needs students and special needs students teach students with no disability some things. Also as long as the special needs students are getting as much help as possible. Plus only being at a special needs college for a year only for having dyslexia and dyspraxia I feel like the teachers don’t let the students with disabilities be independent. They don’t give the students much choice on things on what they wanna do and from what I’ve seen and been told not saying this is everyone. I feel like special needs students feel like they are in a prison and some do have behaviour issues and I feel like special needs schools and colleges don’t really help the students with their issues. However from my experience when the special needs students from special needs schools or colleges get moved up to mainstream colleges they get the chance to be more independent and they get to be more free and themselves then their behaviour isn’t as bad. A lot of the times the special needs students just want to be treated like everybody else in the world. Where a lot of special needs schools and colleges don’t do that they category’s them and tell them what they can and can’t do and a lot of the time they fail to see the special needs students potential also put down their ambition. How is that gonna help them in the future?

What do people on here think?

Normal schools are not equipped to look after children with special needs

i went to special education myself so of course i support special needs schools

One of my family members went to a special needs school, he learned vocational skills and made lifelong friends there. He was never going to become an engineer, he got what was best for him from that school.

I get what you people are saying but I feel like special needs schools can limit special needs student potential and I feel like mainstream schools should teach Special education

Certain disabilities need certain needs..

In my day all disabilities were lumped together in a class for the last 2 hours of the day named the special class..disabilities ranging from a wee bit slow or partially deaf to absolutely spasticated...which was a brutal word to use at the time and now...but that's just the way it was.

for example, i like that there is more sign language too at concerts or a special channel for eurovision final with sign language

Calling disabled people a spastic is very rude and unacceptable

..it’s never going to be a one size fits all and I’m sorry that your experience has been negative, Owoaje...some will thrive in special needs schools and some will not, sadly..I know quite a few who have thrived but I realise it’s not that way for everyone...much the same as in mainstream schools, really, in that some will thrive and some won’t...but special needs schools are more tapered in their structure and their staff to meet individual needs...which are very varied...lots of children with special educational needs do choose mainstream schools at primary level.../...well their parents choose it, obviously...and many struggle but then when they go on to a special needs school for their next level...?...they do find their niche and thrive.../..take huge bounds forward very quickly and their confidence soars etc...I’m just so sorry that’s not how it’s been for you and seemingly, more the opposite...:sad:..

It's an interesting discussion and I can see both sides of the argument. But for me it all depends on how major the disability actually is. I have dyspraxia and autism, but both of those have been worked through where they've been maintained in a positive way and are only a minor factor to how I live my life. I was in a regular secondary school and while majority of students were fine or whatever, disability slurs were used daily by most of them as a form of bantering, which is tragically quite common among adolescents. As someone who actually has minor special needs, it always annoyed me that this was such a casual thing to use those type of slurs as separate definitions to what they actually mean. What's worse was the occasional cases of people who DID use those words as their actual definition, a few former friends continually using them against me to bully me.

So I think all in all, public schools are simply too unreliable for everyone to attend, as not only do not all facilities fully benefit those with more major disabilities, but the quality of discipline differs depending on what school so isn't reliable enough to prevent bullying.

...yeah great post, Epic...:love:...and that’s the thing, isn’t it...I mean the whole of the education system is built on ‘every child matters’ so it’s about the individual needs and which school will suit that child....will be more thriving an environment for them...but school life in general and the different aspect of it..?...can be difficult also for everyone and anyone...

I work in a special needs school and although I am only a teachers assistant but from what I have witnessed the staff and admin are very attentive and do their very best, I have yet to see any of the children neglected in anyway, they seem happy to come to school and there are teachers especially for certain disabilities so I do think these schools are needed

The school I clean at there is a special needs outside block but they also incorparate kids with behavioural issues but this building has a high fence all around it with padlocks so they can't run off and stickers in the windows so they can't see out very well so they don't get distracted. It a bit prison like to be honest but what is good about it is they stick to the same exact lesson plans as the rest of the school they all wear the uniform and some classes they are able to attend in the main school so they do get to mix and overall which is quite touching some of the so called 'lads' that you think would bully people with disabilities do the opposite and they seem to help them out a lot it's quite touching to see. So it does work well but the prison aspect is a bit strange but I'm guessing thats because of the room they have in the building for the ones with behavioural issues

I'm torn on this. I know there are some amazing special ed schools, there's a brand new one in a village not far from me... but I'm not sure separating people in preparation for life is always the answer. I went to school with lots of disabled kids, while those more mentally challenged did receive more support, the kids with mobility problems were lumped in with the rest of us. Seeing someone in a wheelchair or walking with difficulty wasn't an unusual thing, these kids contributed in class just like everyone else and made friends just like everyone else.

I used to work with a woman with cerebral palsy, she walked with a frame and her speech was a bit slurred, but she was one of the funniest, cleverest, and most animated people I've ever met. She went to a special needs school and said she hated it, and would have preferred to go to a mainstream school. I think whether people go to special ed or ordinary school should be on a person to person basis probably, but both have a place.

Standard schools already divide students based on ability (need) so I see it as an extension of that. As long as the needs of students are provided, it really doesn't need to be sub categorised/split off

Bitch please.

I'd like to see some of my pupils try and integrate in a mainstream school ... actually, no I wouldn't. Nearly all of them had been excluded multiple times from mainstream schools.

The smaller class sizes, adapted curriculum, flexible timetables, and trained staff are what they need. As well as the electronic self locking doors and high fences.

It totally depends on the person and their individual needs, my brothers youngest has ceribal palsy but she goes to a main stream school with the help of a one to one.

But some with behaviour problems can have a negative affect on other young adults with disabilities.

Colleges do cater for a wide range of disabilities as my daughter has been to a few different ones that do courses called learning for life that aims to teach individuals how to live more full and indipendant lives.

It’s likely that my nephew is going to need to be in a ‘special’ school and if it’s the best for what he needs and it’ll help him, then so be it

...yeah it really does depend on the individual child, Liam...and if a special school or academy will fit his needs perfectly then hopefully he’ll thrive there...

My youngest (she's autistic with complex learning and language disabilities) is in specialist provision within a mainstream school, which seems to be the most common way that it's done up here in Scotland. Basically, a few primary schools and high schools in the area have a separate ASD provision with their own classrooms, separate budget, head teacher, the works but it's within a mainstream school building. She isn't in any mainstream classes but it does mean she can have arranged time playing with some of the (gentler / more understanding) kids from the mainstream school and also they share the lunch hall / have assemblies together etc.

It's really tailored to individual needs as they get older, in terms of integration. Some will integrate more than others but the option is always there.

IMO it works mostly pretty well, as the "double edged sword" of special needs education was something we worried about. My daughter definitely could not be in a mainstream school, that was never an option. Getting her "ready for the real world" isn't really a concern - she's a very independent little scamp but it's very, very unlikely that she will ever live totally unassisted. However she loves joining in with other kids at the park / her sister and her friends if they come in the house etc. and gets a lot of her social learning that way which is vital. The worry of purely special needs education is that it can mean limited access to "normal" social situations and thus compound some of the social aspects of the disability.

She got you 2 as well my friend.

Do you have any actual experience with special needs schools?

You seem to be under the impression disabled kids are taught "disabled things" and will come out of that school shocked at all the people in the world not using wheelchairs?

An extreme example but definitely the tone of your post.

In regards to "not having choice", did any of us have any choice what our syllabus was at school? :laugh:

In regards to the untrained teachers, staff "not really helping" that seems to be an isolated experience with a bad school. It won't be the case everywhere.

Your use of the word normal is also outdated and offensive. Just a tip.

Why do you twist things for attention?

I haven't twisted anything. You used the word "normal" inappropriately. Friendly reminder.