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mainstream v special

george

My son matthew is 6 years old and is in mainstream school. he has a Statement and gets lots of support from a very nice teaching assistant who is with him most of the time. He seems reasonably happy, however he does not really play with his peers and is falling further and further behind his classmates academically. I recently visited a Special Needs school and was very impressed. I am now beginning to reconsider my earlier decision to keep him in a mainstream school. Although he gets lots of support is he been taught in the correct way, self esteem etc etc does anyone have any views?

Parents

  • One reason why it is difficult to transfer from mainstream to special is that in a mainstream primary school there is one to one funding often. This in reaity means there is more than one adult in the class that can be used for help for others.

    The other problem I have found with students coming to special schools is their lack of independence. Becuase they have so much help (eveerything being done for them) they find it difficult to move to an academic seting where they are expected to do more for themselves.

    There is a social/normal problem as well. When you have a TA with you all day everyday it is impossible for you to be naughty - your TA simply won't allow it (to a degree). You have someone breathing down your neck at every opportunity. When you get to special school there are more chldren like you and it is possible for students to be normal by being naughty.

    We found that for the first term a student was with us they would drop a level. Some of the things we were told they could do academically were way outside their ability - told they could read/write count and they couldn't - it was thier TA doing it for them. BUt the parents could recognise the strress levels were less and they could enjoy themselves - and had special techniques/equipment to use. All these things made such a difference.

    Thanks

    Paulz

Reply

  • One reason why it is difficult to transfer from mainstream to special is that in a mainstream primary school there is one to one funding often. This in reaity means there is more than one adult in the class that can be used for help for others.

    The other problem I have found with students coming to special schools is their lack of independence. Becuase they have so much help (eveerything being done for them) they find it difficult to move to an academic seting where they are expected to do more for themselves.

    There is a social/normal problem as well. When you have a TA with you all day everyday it is impossible for you to be naughty - your TA simply won't allow it (to a degree). You have someone breathing down your neck at every opportunity. When you get to special school there are more chldren like you and it is possible for students to be normal by being naughty.

    We found that for the first term a student was with us they would drop a level. Some of the things we were told they could do academically were way outside their ability - told they could read/write count and they couldn't - it was thier TA doing it for them. BUt the parents could recognise the strress levels were less and they could enjoy themselves - and had special techniques/equipment to use. All these things made such a difference.

    Thanks

    Paulz

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