Difference between mainstream and special needs school

There are pros and cons to both.

I would say it depends on the actual school and how truthful they are about delivering what they promise.

I went through two special schools in the 1970s, so my first hand information is very old and I assume practices have changed a lot since then and schools are now being inspected.

  When I started school, my problems were many, I was nonverbal, although I could talk.  I had severe communication  and behavioural problems.  My biggest problem was I didn't understand any spoken English because my parents were Polish wartime refugees who never learnt English themselves and relied on the family to translate for them.

My first mainstream school was a disaster, I couldn't cope with the violence, being punished by the teachers every day, although they must have known that I didn't understand the language (English).  I often spent a week in school, two weeks off.  

I think I was around 8 when I was sent to my first special school, which specialised in non- English speaking children.  Unfortunately non of the teachers spoke Polish, so I still didn't understand what was being said.  The only good point about this special school was no violence. The school taught me nothing and they didn't have a clue what to do with me!  After a month or so I was transferred back to a different mainstream school.  I eventually learnt English by just picking it up from other children around me.

After more disasters in mainstream schools, I was sent to a second special school when I was 9.  This was a school in name only.  It had many good points and I enjoyed my time there.  The biggest negative was that it's academic curriculum was ZERO.  So beware.  While there I became skilled at basket weaving.  But no 3Rs.  I only spent a year there.  I dread to think how children coped with the outside world when they left,  after spending years and years,  institutilused in that place.

The moral is,  check carefully where you send your children.

There are pros and cons to both.

I would say it depends on the actual school and how truthful they are about delivering what they promise.

I went through two special schools in the 1970s, so my first hand information is very old and I assume practices have changed a lot since then and schools are now being inspected.

  When I started school, my problems were many, I was nonverbal, although I could talk.  I had severe communication  and behavioural problems.  My biggest problem was I didn't understand any spoken English because my parents were Polish wartime refugees who never learnt English themselves and relied on the family to translate for them.

My first mainstream school was a disaster, I couldn't cope with the violence, being punished by the teachers every day, although they must have known that I didn't understand the language (English).  I often spent a week in school, two weeks off.  

I think I was around 8 when I was sent to my first special school, which specialised in non- English speaking children.  Unfortunately non of the teachers spoke Polish, so I still didn't understand what was being said.  The only good point about this special school was no violence. The school taught me nothing and they didn't have a clue what to do with me!  After a month or so I was transferred back to a different mainstream school.  I eventually learnt English by just picking it up from other children around me.

After more disasters in mainstream schools, I was sent to a second special school when I was 9.  This was a school in name only.  It had many good points and I enjoyed my time there.  The biggest negative was that it's academic curriculum was ZERO.  So beware.  While there I became skilled at basket weaving.  But no 3Rs.  I only spent a year there.  I dread to think how children coped with the outside world when they left,  after spending years and years,  institutilused in that place.

The moral is,  check carefully where you send your children.

I'm so sorry to hear your story. Yes society as a whole was ridiculous in allowing and promoting abuse mentally and physically as well as institutionalizing people.

I'd say in my opinion it has changed some. For example, physical violence is not allowed. But in terms of mental abuse some teachers still think that it's acceptable to sit shouting at a child.

Yes this is the main reason I asked the question as I have been informed that special needs schools don't teach an academic curriculum. I have been told that they only teach a developmental curriculum and skills for the outside world such as being able to socialise with people. In terms of that I wouldn't be influenced in sending my child to a special needs school when there is no learning difficulty.