Which is better Special Needs School or Mainstream?

Question

I'm on the fence, which is really not helping me. I am talking about children aged 4-8 that have severe or mild/moderate learning difficulties. Should they go to a special needs school where they will get speech therapy, better resources and other benefits? Or should they stay in a mainstream primary school and have a Learning Support Assistant?

Answer 1

I would suggest the special needs school for your children. It has more for them. Also if you pick the mainstream school they may not get the attention that they need or the help.

Answer 2

I used to teach special ed.  I prefer a mainstream environment because it teaches special needs youth to deal with that 'other' population early on.

But it depends on the school/program that's available:  If the mainstream program is so overwhelming or ill-equipped to deal with the LD child that the kid starts acting out, it might be better at least temporarily to have the youngster in a special needs school.

I've heard there are sites now that rate schools.  If you could find one of those you might be able tor ead  parent reactions to the schools tehy go to...

I also say - go to the school (s), meet the staff and see if they'll let you observe some classes for a day or two...

Answer 3

I think you should start them out in special needs and let them choose if they want to go mainstream around highschool time.

Although, I've never been through this so I really don't know what's best.

Answer 4

In the UK, the current policy to include children with Special Educational Needs in mainstream where possible, the school should be able to access Speech & Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, etc even though she's at mainstream.  

Some children thrive in mainstream with help, some don't.  It comes down to the individual child and the resources that are made available to support them.  In some Authorities, mainstream schools can ask for support from Special Schools and in some cases a dual placement can be arranged, with the child spending some days at mainstream and the others at the special school but it depends on the child's needs.  Other mainstream schools may have a special unit (sometimes called a resourced unit) which specialises in either language or autism, which means the child can access specialist help and still in a mainstream placement.

Ring your local council and ask to the Special Educational Needs section, they should be able to tell what resources are available to mainstream schools and what mainstream schools have specialist units attached to them.  

If you have a special school in mind, ring the school in the Autumn Term and arrange to visit.  

You could also ring the Parent Partnership in your area to ask for help and advice.  

http://www.parentpartnership.org.uk/

Edit: Resources made available by the Health Authority usually come down to staffing levels, there will be some neglect if they are short staffed in some areas but also whether or not the schools know how to access the services.  

If a child has a Statement and S<, OT, etc are part of their allocation of support then the Health Authority has a duty to provide it or accept the consequences.

Whether a child with a Statement goes to the top of the waiting list at a mainstream school depends on the policy of the local Authority but because a formal application must be made if the school fails to respond or fails to make it's case for why the child should not be admitted to the Primary School then the Authority can name the school.

Answer 5

i think that each case ought to be decided on its own merit

you may 'theoretically' get 2 kids with the same amount of additional needs but one copes with mainstream and the other one doesnt - so there are other factors at play all being equal

there are kids who find it inordinately difficult to cope with mainstream education even if they are considered 'mild' - in part due to their own mental attitude and personal coping skills

another child may have a greater degree of educational need but feel better able to cope

for example a child with aspergers will be above average for their educational achievement - but if the right amount of social support is not in place (something often overlooked in such children) then they will find it very difficult to cope emotionally

in my son's year they had a case of a downs syndrome child join mainstream education during infant school (aged 4 - 7)

she had been to a special school where she was with severe learning difficulty peers - she learnt nothing other than how NOT to behave.  there are no schools for mild additional needs cases for her age group so her mother had to fight to get her into mainstream education.  That has paid off because now at ten years old she is only one year behind average for 'normal' kids - an incredible achievement - with some one - to - one help occasionally at school.

that works in a GOOD school that takes responsibility.

there are some schools who are willing to accept statemented kids because they get double money for them BUT they dont provide the extra support for the child - that is something that would never happen at a special school

it pays to shop around and see what is on offer in your local area

my experience is that schools that refuse to acknowledge that some kids do have additional needs tend not to be particularly good schools anyway

sorry i cant give you a straight yes or no to SEN schools or not but i think the issue is more complex than that.

Answer 6

I think it depends on the child and what best suits their needs. I have a child with Asperger's and he is mainstream with an ed tech. He is extremely high functioning and does well. Some kiddos need more and should go to a school with more resources. In the state I live in the public school system has an obligation to provide services to a child that has a special need that impedes on the child's education. I have had to obtain outside services because the department and I did see things the same. You should call the places you have in mind and see if you can meet with them and possibly observe. There are no easy,cut and dry answers. By the way, private schools are not mandated to provide your child services. Best of luck.

Answer 7

It is extremely difficult to have a child placed within a Special Needs School. For severe learning difficulties, there is an awful lot of hoops to jump through to even be considered. For mild learning difficulties- no chance.

When it comes to mainstream schools, you have the pick of the bunch as SEN children automatically go to the top of any admissions lists. Unfair, but true. I would recommend you don't necessarily go to where there is already a large number of SEN children as resources will be seriously over-stretched. Follow recommendations from parents of SEN children and do some research of your own.

In addition, don't be fooled into thinking mainstream schools are well resourced for SEN children because we are not. It's a lottery, very much like the NHS.

Answer 8

Of course each case is individual, but the more severe they are the more help they need. Although, even if students are in a separate class, they should be with the other students as much as possible. They could go to specials with them and sit with them at lunch.