The national cuts are taking their toll

[Twodogs64]

The amount of children with SEN needs has hit the roof over the last couple of years ..
Councils aren't coping, special schools are shutting down..
The primary school I work in plan to have a area set up just for the growing numbers with issues..
I hope it works as things have to change..
Some may say your the caretaker it doesn't affect you ..
It does with small scale damage that I used to get when I worked in a secondary school now happens at primary..
It's a changing environment that's for sure..
Twodogs

[OXSET]

Hi mate, you are right. Been in the game 10 years now and the last 2 years has seen a marked increase in children struggling to cope. We now have an "Enhanced Provision" room which is essentially a secure classroom with 8 children and 9 adults in. Had to gut it and re do everything to make it essentially a special school room within a mainstream primary. It's a good day here if none of the toilet blocks have been smashed up and the corridors have all their furniture in the correct places.

[greenjack]

I do question the amount of labels that are put on kids now.

[Mastergunner]

We have children who struggle to communicate, children who escape from class, children committing vandalism, at least four children with one-to one supervision and a resource base area for the children with complex SEN. I sometimes feel like a prison warden rather than a caretaker. Some of these children should not be in mainstream education but the "system" is broken and has failed them!

[Vera]

In five years our SEND provision has increased 4 fold it now operates from a specially created area within the school and we are shortly to get an outdoor area built which will really look like a prison yard.

They talk of inclusion but these children are in this area 90% of the day.
There are complex medical, mental and behavioural needs and I fear for the disruption to the rest of the children when they are in mainstream classes.

It really is a joke and not helping either the children with needs, the other children or the parents.

[Twodogs64]

Yes it shocking to see the changes .
Yep I get all the above problems as we all do ..
It's only going to get worse with no school cash and local councils going bankrupt...
Look after yourself folks you can only do your best ..
Twodogs

[Mastergunner]

In five years our SEND provision has increased 4 fold it now operates from a specially created area within the school and we are shortly to get an outdoor area built which will really look like a prison yard.

They talk of inclusion but these children are in this area 90% of the day.
There are complex medical, mental and behavioural needs and I fear for the disruption to the rest of the children when they are in mainstream classes.

It really is a joke and not helping either the children with needs, the other children or the parents.

We already have the prison yard. It was installed when the Resource Base was constructed. Even the parents of other children refer to it as "The Jail".

[Buffer]

I do question the amount of labels that are put on kids now.

I read an article a few years back in one of the teachers magazines and it stated that we had by far the largest amount of pupils classed as special needs than anywhere in Europe and I have often wondered why that was the case not sure if it still is though. Sadly from eating disorders to being dyslexic, adhd, bipolar, and identifying as cats we do seem to love 'trends' here but I wonder of course how many of these problems are just 'naughty kids' with useless parents when I look back at my school years in the 1970's I went to a large primary school and secondary and I clearly remember the children who I know now did have a problem they were a very small number so how can we go from that to like it is now? and I worry that children and adults who genuinely have a problem are missed and not getting the help they need.