NEWS


Teachers react to Ofsted SEN claims


by Chris Parr


Teachers and headteachers have reacted angrily to an Ofsted report that claims up to quarter of all children identified as having a SEN have been wrongly diagnosed and simply require better teaching. According to the inspectorate’s


report, many schools identify pupils as having SEN when “their needs were no different from those of most other pupils”. The report concludes that


wrongly diagnosing students with an SEN means they receive rela- tively expensive additional provi- sion “to make up for poor day-to- day teaching and pastoral support”. “(Some students identified as having an SEN) were underachiev-


ing but this was sometimes simply because the school’s mainstream teaching provision was not good enough, and expectations of the pupils were too low,” the report says. Inspectors visited 228 nurseries,


schools and colleges in 22 local authorities, and carried out case studies of 345 young people with disabilities and SEN. In one high school, all year 11


students at risk of missing their target GCSE grades had been iden- tified as having an SEN. In secondary schools as a whole,


the proportion of students identified as having SEN without a statement has increased from 13 per cent in 2003 to 19.7 per cent in 2010. Brian Lightman, general secre- tary of the Association of School


Review of vocational education announced


Education secretary Michael Gove has announced a review of vocational education for 14 to 19-year-olds in England, saying the current system has “failed to properly value practical education”. The review, to be led by


Professor Alison Wolf, of King’s College London, will assess the quality of applied qualifications in subjects such as engineering, design, health, construction, hos- pitality, IT and travel and tourism. “For many years our education


system has failed to value practical education, choosing to give far greater emphasis to purely aca- demic achievements,” Mr Gove said. “This has left a gap in the coun-


try’s skills base and, as a result, a shortage of appropriately trained and educated young people to fulfil the needs of our employers. To help support our economic recovery, we need to ensure that this position does not continue and in future we are able to meet the needs of our labour market.” Chris Keates, general secretary


of the NASUWT, said there was “a real danger” that the review could lead to vocational education being perceived as the preserve of young- sters “not able to cope” with aca- demic study. “It would be profoundly dam-


aging if the government’s reforms of 14 to 19 education and train- ing resulted in fewer young peo- ple from all social backgrounds undertaking a mix of vocational and


academic programmes of study,” she said. The secretary of state has


already announced plans to open a new range of “university techni- cal colleges”, which would take students from age 14 who opt out of more mainstream settings to focus on practical courses. Twelve such schools are set to


be established in England’s biggest cities. The plans were criticised by


Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, who said they risked creating a two- tier education system. “Attempting to separate ‘tech-


nical’ or ‘vocational’ education from mainstream schools will lead to a two tier system with tech- nical schools being seen as the poor cousin. It is not acceptable that, at the age of 14, pupils may be forced into specific learning routes which could restrict their future education or career choic- es,” she said. The review follows Mr Gove’s


announcement of an English Baccalaureate last week. Under these proposals, pupils who gain at least five C grade GCSEs in sub- jects including English, maths, sci- ence, foreign or ancient languages and humanities, will gain the new qualification. Prof Wolf will submit her final report in spring next year.


• See page 6 – We must respect vocational education.


and College Leaders, said it was “nonsense” to suggest that simply improving teaching and pastoral support would address the issues around SEN in schools. He said: “Of course the quality


of teaching and pastoral support plays a role, but the issues are much more complex. The fact is that more young people today bring behav- ioural and emotional issues into school and need intensive, often one-on-one help inside and out- side the classroom. Teachers are not social workers.” Chris Keates, general secretary


of the NASUWT, claimed it was “unacceptable to scapegoat teach- ers” for the variability in identifying pupils with SEN. Alison Ryan, education poli- cy advisor at the Association of


Teachers and Lecturers, added: “Ofsted needs to do more than say what schools should do and iden- tify ‘poor practice’. It also needs to understand why some children with SEN and disabilities do not achieve their potential and chal- lenge the factors that are outside a school’s control, such as school league tables which put pressure on schools to narrow their curriculum and teach to the test, and teacher training which ill-prepares teachers for working with children with SEN and disabilities.” Around 1.7 million school-aged


children in England are identified as having SEN or a disability. These pupils are disproportionately from disadvantaged backgrounds, are much more likely to be absent or excluded from school, and achieve


SEN Review


Education ministers are urging teachers with an interest in SEN to contribute their views to a forthcoming Green Paper. The aim of the government consultation is to find ways to


improve parents’ choice of schools, and consider how funding for SEN support can be reformed. It will also look at:


• Preventing the ‘unnecessary closure’ of special schools, and involving parents in any decisions about their future


• Supporting young people with SEN and disabilities post-16 to help them succeed after education.


• Improving diagnosis and assessment to identify children with additional needs earlier.


Sarah Teather, the children’s minister, said: “I want parents, teachers, charities, teaching unions and local authorities to come forward with the changes they think are needed to make the system better for children with SEN and their families.” Lorraine Petersen, chief executive of SEN organisation nasen, said:


“This consultation and the coming Green Paper represent a positive step towards ensuring that all of our young people receive an education best suited to their needs, whatever their level of ability.” To take part, visit www.education.gov.uk/consultations


less well than their peers both at any given age and in terms of their progress over time. Christine Gilbert, Ofsted’s


chief inspector, said: “With over one in five children of school age in England identified as hav- ing SEN, it is vitally important


that both the way they are identi- fied, and the support they receive, work in the best interests of the children involved. Higher expec- tations of all children, and better teaching and learning, would lead to fewer children being identified as having SEN.”


Sporting chance: More than 1,500 young UK athletes took part in the Sainsbury’s UK School Games in Gateshead earlier this month. The youngsters, from schools across the country, competed across 10 sports: athletics, badminton, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, judo, road cycling, swimming, table rennis and volleyball. There was even an opening ceremony (pictured top left). Steve Grainger, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust, which organised the event, said: “It was an incredible few


days in the North East of England. The 2010 Sainsbury’s UK School Games have again demonstrated the strength and depth of sporting talent there is in the UK.” Visit www.ukschoolgames.com


More children using computers to do homework


More children than ever before are using computers and the internet to help them with their homework. According to new research,


92 per cent of students under 16 now use a home laptop or desktop computer to complete their school work. The average child now spends


almost four hours per week on a computer doing school-related activities, while for children whose parents expect them to achieve above average or excellent results this figure increases to five hours per week.


4 The findings suggest that par-


ents are also keen to use technol- ogy to boost their children’s future prospects, with nearly 70 per cent admitting they fear their children’s career opportunities would be held back without good IT skills. Parents’ knowledge of how


technology is used in schools is also improving, the research found, with 85 per cent saying they have a good understanding of how technology is used in the classroom. However, the research also


revealed that parents still want help from schools to explain how


technology is used in lessons, with two thirds saying it would help them understand how their kids are taught, and half saying it would help them to assist their children with their homework. Rod Bristow, president of edu-


cation publisher Pearson UK, which commissioned the study, said: “It’s encouraging to see more children than ever before using technology to assist them with their school work, and that parents now have a greater awareness to the vital role this plays in the classroom and the wider working world.”


SecEd • September 16 2010


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