All children included in local mainstream schools
Why is this still not happening across the UK and wider world? The evidence is clear. Children do much better academically and more importantly are likely to build friendships and relationships that will endure beyond schooling. We must work even harder to divert children and resources away from special schools and settings to where they need to be with their mainstream peers.
The opportunities for children to learn from each other are immense and it really is a two way street.
I was in a setting only last week where all the children had learned maceton because of the inclusion of a boy with autism. They were using signs even when he wasn't present. They were using picture exchange systems because he was. He in turn was learning how to play with the trains from watching very closely and how and when to sing and speak. The teacher reported quite simply 'he has taught us to think outside the box.'
Different and challenging children and young people contribute whenever present. Yes they can mess with the 'tidiness' of our systems and threaten inspection outcomes - but they are real, authentic and demand school improvement and new creative flexibilities.
We need our current UK government and others across the world to actively pursue the basic human right of every child to be present in their local school even when the dominant 'medical model' narrative demands they should be somewhere special for their 'treatment'. Schools are not treatment centres. This narrative is not educational and must be challenged.
All children need to experience belonging, acceptance and friendship in local mainstream schools with the support they need. All means all.
Www.inclusive-solutions.com
The opportunities for children to learn from each other are immense and it really is a two way street.
I was in a setting only last week where all the children had learned maceton because of the inclusion of a boy with autism. They were using signs even when he wasn't present. They were using picture exchange systems because he was. He in turn was learning how to play with the trains from watching very closely and how and when to sing and speak. The teacher reported quite simply 'he has taught us to think outside the box.'
Different and challenging children and young people contribute whenever present. Yes they can mess with the 'tidiness' of our systems and threaten inspection outcomes - but they are real, authentic and demand school improvement and new creative flexibilities.
We need our current UK government and others across the world to actively pursue the basic human right of every child to be present in their local school even when the dominant 'medical model' narrative demands they should be somewhere special for their 'treatment'. Schools are not treatment centres. This narrative is not educational and must be challenged.
All children need to experience belonging, acceptance and friendship in local mainstream schools with the support they need. All means all.
Www.inclusive-solutions.com
