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Take part in ALLFIE’s Social Value in Education project

Do you have something to say about your experience with mainstream schooling? ALLFIE wants to hear from Black and global majority Disabled children and their parents.

The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) would like to invite Black and Global majority Disabled young people (aged 11 – 16), and parents of Disabled children, to take part in a small focus group discussion to share your experiences of navigating mainstream schooling.

Through this discussion, ALLFIE hopes to understand your lived experience of schooling as a Black and global majority Disabled child attending a mainstream secondary school. Your views will be used to support ALLFIE’s campaign and policy work around inclusive education within mainstream settings for all Disabled people as a human right and social justice issue.

If you’re interested in sharing your experiences, please contact Kariima Ali, ALLFIE’s Social Value in Education Researcher by Friday, 20th January 2023

The London Borough of Newham was once the proud leading council in England guiding other Local Authorities and educational institutions on how to make inclusive education within mainstream settings work for all its children and young people. Indeed, at that time, a generation of Disabled children and young people successfully completed their schooling alongside their non-disabled peers in mainstream provision. However, this previous approach is in complete opposition to what is now happening. Specifically, the building of a new segregated setting, as quoted on Newham Recorder website (on 29/11/2022) which states that:

“The school, which is named after the local landmark bridge, will serve up to 105 pupils aged five to 19, and will be a designated school to support children with autism.”

This is a huge disappointment and runs contrary to the SEND Code of Practice (2015) which refers to the Children and Families Act (2014) and expects a ‘presumption of mainstream’ in law. ALLFIE firmly believes that to specifically target and exclude Disabled young people by impairment is a contravention of the Equality Act 2010 and is counter to our broader obligation under the UNCRPD (2006) specifically Article 24, and Sustainable Development Goal No 4, which articulates the obligation to advance inclusive education and for the progressive removal of barriers to learning and participation.

The London Borough of Newham’s move to create segregated educational places for Disabled children and young people will reinforce and perpetuate discrimination experienced by Disabled people. This ableist and disablist discriminatory practice is evident through the group of Disabled children and young people selected to be segregated. ALLFIE knows that segregated education creates marginalization and discrimination; and for the London Borough of Newham which already has a disproportionate population experiencing social and intersectional inequalities, will make matters worse. This will further disconnect Disabled children and young people from the experiences within their families, friends and wider community.

The increase in segregated settings and placements for children and young people in the London Borough of Newham is a clear acknowledgment of the Government’s failure to address inclusive education within mainstream settings as a human right. The National Audit Office reported in 2019 that:

“The main reason why local authorities have overspent their high-needs budgets is that more pupils are attending special schools” (NAO, 2019, p.8).

Earlier still, the United Nations Committee in a concluding observation of the UK reported that there is concern about the ‘increasing number of children with disabilities in segregated environments’ (UN, 2017). Their concern was related to the persistence of a dual educational system that discriminates against Disabled children and young people.

We know that the creation of this segregated school in the London Borough of Newham is based on an unjust and discriminatory policy decision. To segregate 105 pupils in this segregated provision is 105 pupils too many. We also know that this creates barriers to Inclusive Education. That segregation disproportionately impacts on Disabled children and young people with autism and/or individuals labelled with severe and complex needs. We would expect as an educational right that Disabled children and young people with autism attend their local mainstream school with the appropriate support and resources.

ALLIE has evidence that Inclusive education within mainstream settings does work when Disabled children and young people are valued, are part of the decision-making process, and are taken seriously by providing the essential supports they require to participate and contribute to their local schools and communities.

We know that segregating children and young people will lead to yet more segregation, exclusion and isolation, reinforcing discrimination across all other areas of life. There is much evidence around this country of the ongoing violence and abuse of people with autism when they are locked away and removed from their communities. This has triggered UK Parliament to carry out a review of this horrific practice (UK Parliament, 2022). This practice of harm and discrimination must end. We know that current government failings to advance inclusive education are fueling segregated provision, feeding into a fear of difference and perpetuating discrimination.

ALLFIE calls for schools to have the funding to support and resource ALL children and young people in the communities where they live, with families and all other children. There have been decades of fighting to campaign for Inclusive Education to be acknowledged as a human right. We call on all Local Authorities to meet their obligation for the progressive realization of Inclusive Education and to end the segregation of Disabled children and young people in entirety.

We would welcome further conversation with yourself to share our position and look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE)

Highlighting the Intersectional experiences of Disabled Black and racially minoritized students

By Kariima Ali, ALLFIE’s Social Value in Education Researcher.

In this blog I stress the importance of thinking with intersectionality when challenging ongoing inequalities and injustices experienced by Disabled people within the education system. In particular, how the intersections of ableism/disablism, racism and other intersectional oppressions play out in practice which further increases social injustice in other areas of society.

Intersectionality has been underutilised in inclusive education research.

In this blog I stress the importance of thinking with intersectionality when challenging ongoing inequalities and injustices experienced by Disabled people within the education system. In particular, how the intersections of ableism/disablism, racism and other intersectional oppressions play out in practice which further increases social injustice in other areas of society.  

The Timpson review (2019) reported that Black Disabled boys are 58% more likely to experience school exclusions when compared to white Disabled boys.  This is an example of why there is a need to better understand how we can improve our campaigning work so that we are working to advance all students rather than working from a singular issue, that results in further marginalisation of some communities within the Disabled people’s movement. There is enough evidence to show the failures experienced by Disabled people in the education system. However, the government continues not to follow up on their obligation to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to make inclusive education (on Article 24) a reality for all Disabled students in mainstream education systems. This includes removing structural and systematic barriers for example, inaccessibility of education teaching / teaching training, use of performance measure, inappropriate use of school accessibility plans that are used to push Disabled people out of mainstream education and upholding a system of segregation. These levels of segregation reinforce the lines of disparity between people within communities through increasing intersectional oppression which negatively impacts on Disabled people that are already living at the margins of society. This ultimately means that the barriers and inequalities experienced by Disabled Black and racially minoritised students are intensified by their interlocking experiences of racism and disablism. 

It is important to recognise that education is a basic human right. We must fight towards an educational framework of inclusion that is fundamentally rooted in an intersectional and social justice practice that embodies the participation of all people in the educational system. By not amplifying intersectional experiences that centre marginalised voices in our activism, Disabled people’s movements and other social justice movements, we call into question which communities are really being heard and which aren’t.  

Over the next 12 months, ALLFIE will be conducting a research project, funded by the Runnymede Trust, to help us to better understand the intersectional experiences of Disabled Black and racially minoritized children in mainstream schools. In an effort to ensure that ALLFIE’s campaign work is better informed by intersectionality so that no-one’s experiences are erased or marginalised.

For more information about the project, please contact: Kariima.ali@allfie.org.uk   

Kariima Ali, Social Value in Education Researcher 

Austerity is the problem not the answer: A warning that “Austerity Kills” ahead of financial statement

What:

A coalition of Disabled people’s organisations has warned that further austerity cuts will cause untold misery and many deaths. The Disabled People’s Organisations Forum, a group of 40 Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs), believes any further public spending cuts will once again disproportionately hurt Disabled people, millions of whom are already living in poverty in the UK. They state that there is “nothing left to cut, the government must make different political choices – austerity is the problem not the answer.”

Their full statement can be viewed here.

They are calling for people to contact their MPs to urge them to vote against any cuts to essential support and public services, to increase all benefits in line with inflation and stop social care charging to protect social care recipients’ income with an increased Minimum Income Guarantee and excluding disability benefits from the social care means testing.

They will be tweeting using the hashtag #AusterityKills

Why:

Quotes

Tracey Lazard, CEO of Inclusion London said

“We are horrified at the prospect of further cuts to services that are already running on empty and the minimal levels of support that Disabled people get. Disabled people have been amongst the hardest hit by austerity, covid and the current cost of living crisis which is leaving many of us facing a prospect of starving or freezing this winter.

We are calling on the government to show responsibility and compassion to protect Disabled people’s lives, dignity, inclusion and rights by ruling out further cuts to essential services & support and by committing additional targeted support to help Disabled people survive this cost-of-living crisis. Austerity is the problem not the answer and this government must not repeat the mistakes of the last decade”

Case studies

Notes for editor

References

  1. The Guardian: Over 330,000 excess deaths in Great Britain linked to austerity, finds study https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/05/over-330000-excess-deaths-in-great-britain-linked-to-austerity-finds-study
  2.  Disability News Service: Austerity cuts to social care and health caused 57,000 deaths, research suggests https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/austerity-cuts-to-social-care-and-health-caused-57000-deaths-research-suggests/
  3. The Guardian: UK austerity policies ‘amount to violations of disabled people’s rights’ https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/07/uk-austerity-policies-amount-to-violations-of-disabled-peoples-rights
  4.  ONS (2021). Outcomes for disabled people in the UK: 2021.  https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/disability/articles/outcomesfordisabledpeopleintheuk/2021#:~:text=One%2Dquarter%20(24.9%25)%20of,(year%20ending%20June%202021).
  5.  ERHC (2016). Being Disabled in Britain. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/being-disabled-in-britain.pdf
  6.  The Burgen Project (2022). BATTLING DISABILITY AND POVERTY IN THE UK. https://borgenproject.org/disability-and-poverty-in-the-uk/
  7. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, UK Poverty 2019/20 https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/uk-poverty-2019-20

No More Austerity: Protect Disabled people’s rights and lives

This policy briefing is from the Disabled People’s Organisations Forum – a coalition of 40 Deaf and Disabled people’s led organisations, including ALLFIE. 
Call to Action: Email your MP before Thursday’s budget, asking them to reject austerity and protect Disabled lives.

The Disabled People’s Organisations Forum is a coalition of 40 Deaf and Disabled people’s led organisations, including ALLFIE, working in different regions of England. We have jointly prepared this policy briefing ahead of Thursday’s financial statement, and urge our supporters to email your MP before the budget, asking them to reject austerity and protect Disabled people’s lives.

No more austerity – protect Disabled people’s rights and lives

This briefing is from the Disabled People’s Organisations Forum – a coalition of 40 Deaf and Disabled people’s led organisations working in different regions of England.

Contact your MP about this with our template letter

We are horrified at the prospect of further cuts to public services and the impact these cuts will have on Disabled people(1).  Disabled people have been amongst the hardest hit by the last 12 years of austerity, the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis. Disabled people still face multiple barriers to having an equal life and many of us need support from essential public services, including social care and social housing to live a decent life.

In the current cost of living crisis, which for many Disabled people comes on top of significant extra costs of disability, we know further cuts to the already minimal support that Disabled people get will lead to devastating consequences, including serious deterioration of people’s quality of life, physical and mental wellbeing and the loss of lives.

We are calling on the government to show responsibility and compassion to protect Disabled people’s lives, dignity, inclusion and rights by ruling out further cuts to essential services and support and by committing additional targeted support to help Disabled people survive this cost-of-living crisis.

The government must make different political choices – austerity is the problem not the answer.

We are asking Members of Parliament to stand up for Disabled people and our quality of life, dignity, inclusion and rights. We need them to:

Background information and evidence

We all want to live in a society where everyone has the right to live and is treated with dignity and respect, where people do not starve, freeze or struggle in squalid conditions because they cannot afford food, heating or care services.

Disabled people were among the hardest hit by cuts to public services and changes to welfare benefits since 2010.

There is a growing body of evidence that real term reduction in health and social care spending since 2010 led to tens of thousands of excess deaths(2).

The research by Disability Benefits Consortium found that Disabled people were four times worse off as a result of welfare benefits changes from 2010 compared to non-disabled people on average losing £1200 per year with those who have highest support needs losing £2100 in benefits income. Households in London with one child and at least one Disabled person lost £3800 per year on average(3).

Research by the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that Disabled people with high support needs, especially single mothers and other lone parents and single mothers of colour were among the groups who lost the most financially as a result of cuts to public services and changes to welfare (4).

Massive reductions to community services and support led to devastating consequences to Disabled people’s rights and opportunities:

Following a two-year investigation, the UN Committee on the rights of Persons with Disabilities found that austerity measures caused gross and systemic violations of Disabled people’s human rights(12).

Disabled people suffered the most during Covid pandemic

The pandemic starkly highlighted discrimination against Disabled people, which in turn led many of us to question whether our lives are of an equal value in the face of rationing of medical treatment, imposition of advance “do not resuscitate” notes, the disregard shown about social care users and issues resulting in Disabled people accounting for 60% of COVID-related deaths(13).  After social care was deprioritised by the Coronavirus Act, the death rate of people on the homecare register doubled or even tripled in some areas, mostly not from COVID(14).

Disabled workers were over-represented among redundancies during the pandemic(15) and 2 million Disabled people on legacy benefits did not benefit at all from the temporary £20 uplift to Universal Credit. Since then, support and access to services has dramatically reduced, leaving many of us in on-going isolation, debt and deepening poverty

Disabled people are among the most affected by the cost-of-living crisis

Even before the current crisis 4 million Disabled people lived in poverty(16), with six in ten people referred to foodbanks being Disabled and over 600,000 Disabled people living on less than £10 per day for food and essentials.

Now the rising cost of living is leaving Disabled people in dire poverty and forcing many to make an impossible choice between heating, eating or getting essential support with meeting basic needs:

The cost-of-living increase is having an even more disproportionate and negative impact on Disabled women (particularly single mothers), Disabled children, Disabled carers, Disabled people of colour, Disabled people with complex needs, people given mental health diagnosis, Disabled people living in rural areas and older Disabled people.

The extra cost of disability

Impairment and long-term health conditions coupled with the many barriers in society mean that many Disabled people have significantly higher living costs because of disability, including buying and using specialist equipment and technology like powered wheelchairs, paying for extra support and paying additional for energy and other utilities to cover running specialist equipment, extra heating and washing costs. Scope’s research estimated on average Disabled people facing £583 in extra costs per month, and one in five facing extra cost of over £1,000(22). With an increase in the cost of living, these costs of disability are rising steeply too.

Supporting organisations

Education: The lifelong loss of opportunities and life chances

The current austerity framework sees educational inclusion chronically underfunded. Baseline funding is significantly decreasing in mainstream settings and being invested in segregated provision. ALLFIE believes this consequently limits the life chances and potential for Disabled people to achieve in all areas of our society. We are gravely concerned by recent reports that suggest that Local Authorities are being pressured to cut SEND funding in exchange for broader financial assistance from the Government. In this current crisis, where schools are considering a four-day week, this is likely to put additional pressure onto household budgets for food, heating, access to social care and potentially childcare. Furthermore, schools are facing industrial action by teachers against a background of financial collapse, seeing a shortage of educational specialists, and are unable to retain essential SEN-focused staff all of which further disadvantages Disabled people in education.

ALLFIE requests that, as a starting point, the Government provides reassurance that funding intended to support Disabled pupils to access education will be protected, and meet the required need. Education is the bedrock of society, and it is vital that Disabled People, who are disproportionately impacted by every aspect of this crisis, are given the right to lifelong education, and thus the pathway to reach their potential, within their communities and society as a whole.

Call to action

Take action and write to your MP today

We are asking people to email their MPs ahead of the budget to ask them to reject austerity and protect Disabled lives:

1. Submit the form on this page – it will find your MP
2. Edit our template letter as much or as little as you want on the next page
3. Send it and share this action on social media!

References

  1.  By Disabled people we mean people with physical, sensory, neurological and other impairments, people with learning difficulties or autism, people with experience of mental distress/trauma and other people with impairments or health conditions who face disabling barriers in society.
  2. Lewer, D., & Bibby, J. (2021). Cuts to local government funding and stalling life expectancy. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(21)00136-5/fulltext
  3.  Disability Benefits Consortium (2019). The impact of welfare changes on disabled people, https://disabilitybenefitsconsortium.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/disability-benefits-consortium-cumulative-impact-report.pdf
  4. The HERC (2018). The Cumulative impact of tax and welfare reforms.  https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/cumulative-impact-assessment-report.pdf
  5. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/childrens-home-council-funding-social-care-b2212175.html https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/aug/28/councils-england-wales-pay-1m-pounds-a-year-to-house-child-in-private-care-home
  6.  BBC News (2021). Autism: Number of people stuck in hospital ‘national scandal’. bbc.co.uk, [online] 14 July. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-57722356
  7. https://www.cqc.org.uk/news/releases/cqc-calls-action-fix-closed-system-leads-people-learning-disability-or-autism-being
  8.  Schools Week (2021). Councils in deficit told to find SEND savings in exchange for £100m bailouts. https://schoolsweek.co.uk/councils-receive-conditional-send-special-needs-school-funding-bailouts/
  9.  RCSLT (2022). RCSLT leads coalition calling for investment in the specialist workforce. https://www.rcslt.org/news/rcslt-leads-coalition-calling-for-investment-in-the-specialist-workforce/
  10.  The Guardian (2022). Schools in England risk losing TAs to supermarkets over ‘chronic’ low pay. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/sep/08/schools-risk-losing-teaching-assistants-to-supermarkets-chronic-low-pay-report
  11.  Special educational needs in England. [online] 24 June. Available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england
  12.  Moreover, current UN Special Rapporteur, Olivier de Schutter has described the current time as the worst possible time for more austerity in the UK and has emphasised that further austerity could (again) violate human rights.
  13.  ONS (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19) related deaths by disability status, England and Wales: 2 March to 14 July 2020. [online] Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbydisabilitystatusenglandandwales/2marchto14july2020
  14. https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2021-05-10/revealed-thousands-of-pandemic-deaths-in-home-care 
  15.  ONS (2021). Coronavirus and redundancies in the UK labour market: September to November 2020. [online]. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/labourmarketeconomicanalysisquarterly/december2020#redundancies-among-different-groups-of-employees-and-industries
  16.  JRF Poverty 2019=2020., https://www.jrf.org.uk/reports?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsvTxBRDkARIsAH4W_j9Fier-VfWXkIs4BMhGu-fTaUlMXb4kU84f_ZyZwRd9yLr-N7Oc5qUaAvbwEALw_wcB
  17.  ONS (2022). Impact of increased cost of living on adults across Great Britain: June-September 2022. Available at https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/articles/impactofincreasedcostoflivingonadultsacrossgreatbritain/junetoseptember2022
  18.  Jayanetti, C (2022) 87,000 people can’t keep up with care bills as cost of living soars, Open Democracy https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/cost-of-living-social-care-bills-people-cant-pay-exclusive-england/
  19. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/millions-older-brits-cutting-stopping-28395027
  20.  GMDPP (2022) Big Disability Survey https://gmdisabledpeoplespanel.com/
  21. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/articles/impactofincreasedcostoflivingonadultsacrossgreatbritain/junetoseptember2022
  22.  Scope, (2019). The disability price tag.

Inclusion Now 64 | Autumn 2022

Welcome to the latest edition of Inclusion Now magazine, inclusive education news including: A revolving door of Tory incompetence and inequality; The ‘institutional lie’ about cuts; Poverty, class, race and disability; Inclusive practice in Wales; Maresa MacKeith on Friendship; Disability History Month

Welcome to the 64th edition of Inclusion Now magazine. Text and audio versions are in the articles below, or you can read it in magazine format on Issuu.

To receive three issues of Inclusion Now a year, on the publication date, you can subscribe here. Subscribing supports our work and helps us plan for the future.

Inclusion Now is produced in collaboration with ALLFIE, World of Inclusion and Inclusive Solutions

Listen to Editorial

In this edition:

  1. The Importance of Being Supportive: Zanib Malik on Additional Learning Support
  2. Re-Empowerment, Education , Equality: Melody Powell on Young people’s  SEND Review
  3. Parent Voice: A conversation with Susan Smith
  4. ALLFIE’s SEND Review: What to expect – Navin Kikabhai feeds back emerging themes from the Government consultation
  5. Inclusive practice: COVID-19 new models: Dr Victoria Bamsey & Dr Suanne Gibson, University of Plymouth
  6. Capacity Building DPOs: Inclusion Champions project reports back. Illustrations by Stephen Lee Hodgkins
  7. Crippen cartoon: SEND Review By Dave Lupton
  8. Legal Question : Reasonable adjustments – Simone’s final legal question – Inclusion Now appreciates their invaluable contribution to the magazine!  Simpson Millar respond

The Importance of Being Supportive

By Zanib Malik

Listen to The Importance of Being Supportive

Annie for English GCSE again! Felt like my first year providing Additional Learning Support (ALS) in college. She was great with learners, took the time to understand what engaged them, and treated them as equals. “Should be good!”, I thought, rolling my way down the corridor.

I didn’t know how small the room was going to be. Didn’t know how full it would be. Hadn’t really registered how many students I had on my list for Additional Learning Support. I’m so used to going into a class and supporting anyone who asks. Students not down for LSA support asking for help is common. Many learners requiring ALS go through school only to reach further education without support necessary for easing them through an already difficult time. Difficult because, although education until 18 is now mandatory, it is not actually funded enough to handle the general capacity of learners, let alone everyone now entering further education, thus leaving a lot of people without opportunities to secure work. Now imagine going into it having not received all the help you’re entitled to as neurodiverse learners, with possible Special Educational Needs that have gone unnoticed – or in many cases, labelled as ‘difficult’ and ‘disruptive’ instead. It’s a lot. For both students and staff going into it without enough resources, not enough staff to deliver quality education or with enough time to provide essential one-to-one tutor time. The SEND Green Paper stated that the rate of 11.6% SEN provision learners was decreasing in 2016. Practically, it’s impossible for rates to drop and then uptake in recent years, particularly in F.E. Unless the needs were ignored.

Richard, Ashley and Katie, from Annie’s class, left education within months. It could have been different for them, if they had been provided with support and consideration for their needs prior to reaching college and as a result, not having to re-sit English and Maths (which are now essential to career progression). I realise the process of the education system again and again is letting down young people with a lot of competing needs.

Something we don’t discuss enough when applying SEN provision is the impact of emotional support. We must be able to identify emotional needs and support them accordingly, especially when no one else picks up on them. I’ve been in classes where the learner can work independently much of the time, but if there is no emotional support to alleviate the stress and anxiety that comes with workloads and meeting deadlines, they succumb to the pressure. During times of upset, taking Sarah out of the room and practising deep breathing exercises works wonders. It calms her, giving her something to focus her mind on.

Once settled, she finds it easier to open up about what she’s thinking and feeling, giving me an idea of what to look at when assessing how we can make her journey easier. Emotional support incorporates everything because applying these actions, no matter how big or small, make all the difference to that learner’s day.

It’s sensing when things aren’t right, noticing little things someone does when they’re content and what happens when they aren’t, what is the cause, how’s it impacting their cognition and ability to process information. It’s reassuring, checking in, praising them and providing positivity. If we’re moving around, I’ll help with carrying things, and see them in and out of college.

If the work is practical, get involved so that if someone struggles, you can understand how to help them find the solutions. I’m very Pro “write it down!” or “make notes of what you’re thinking or what has been said.”, carrying a pen and paper/having something to type on is essential in ALS. It allows learners to track what’s happening and refer back when they’re stuck.

I’ll note-take where possible so they can focus on the tutor, though some prefer to take their own notes. Encourage this. It’s a good habit for them to take away (whether it’s on a digital device or on paper). Sometimes writing things down supports memory and processing of information.

ALS and SEN provision has, like everything else, adapted to remote working, so showing learners how to utilise the tools they’re given is vital. If their work isn’t accessible on one platform, we access it elsewhere. Google Applications works across phones, tablets and computers. You can proofread a learner’s work in real time without needing to be next to them or stopping them from typing.

They share their work with me and I can see who’s adding to it, as well as leave feedback. It’s essential when multitasking. I could be working from home using Google Meet, prompting Tyler to stay focused, whilst simultaneously observing what Zara and Luka are doing with their work in Google Docs/Slides.

Callum struggled reading and writing this year. Using a laptop in class, we went through how to use Read and Write together. He needed text-to-speech software available on various platforms to support phonics and spelling, my other students in this class also required constant support with overseeing their work. Utilising Read and Write was my way of managing a demand on my support. In a different group, Jermaine struggled with memory but refused support. The only way to meet this need was by providing a Dictaphone and ensuring camera phone use to take pictures of his work processes.

Even if he did accept support in college, he may not seek it out later. I explained that establishing a habit of documenting like this could be discreet enough, it was normal for professionals and social media to work like this, utilising audio/visual recording apps on whatever device was at hand.

It wasn’t enough from the tutor’s perspective (or mine, for that matter). But Jermaine shied away from in-person support. So I used initiative and adapted something he already used every day, in the hope that it meets his needs and supports his goals. As a SEND Specialist, I monitored progress for EHCP learners, feeding back their input and aspirations to Practitioners and Coordinators so that during reviews, their input was actively supported. It influenced ALS in education and some preparation for life beyond FE, giving learners insight into home, workplace and travel support. Leaving education without knowing how to help yourself get support is daunting.

It’s hard not to root for learners. Especially the ones who don’t get their support. They need you the most. When Katie from Annie’s class said she couldn’t write a short story because she didn’t know what to say, I encouraged her by highlighting her achievements, telling her how well she was doing.

Drawing attention to a box on the table as the plot for her short story, and how she had visualised being in that room, looking at the box. What did she do? Did she speak to anyone? Why was the box on the table, was she going to open it? I asked her to put herself in that scenario without being direct. It was my way of asking her to let her imagination run wild – and she did, her story was gruesome and amazing!

It’s another way to provide emotional support. It boosts confidence, giving learners control over what happens next…Katie didn’t re-sit English, but I gave her a glimpse of her capabilities. Hopefully, she’ll reach for it to give herself a boost during challenging times. Remembering she smashed that task not only because she got the support she needed, but also because it was that support which addressed her need and allowed Katie to take control, raise interest and to enjoy learning. ASL support for students can absolutely change the experiences in college for a Disabled young person.

Graduate students at a ceremony. Shot from behind.

Please note that all names and pronouns in this article have been changed to protect identities.

Re-Empowerment, Education and Equality: SEND Review implications for Young people

Melody Powell led ALLFIE’s SEND Review consultation for Young Disabled people, and reports back on key changes to address inequality in education for Disabled children and Young people, as well as students with different intersectional identities.

Listen to ‘Re-Empowerment, Education and Equality’

The Government SEND Review Green Paper, published in March 2022, motivated many Young people to start reflecting on their experiences with the education system. Over the last few months, ALLFIE engaged with a diverse range of Young people across England to discuss what works, what does not work and what needs to change when it comes to the education of Disabled children and Young People.

When talking about everyone’s experiences, it became clear that there are huge issues within the education system.

The concerns of Young People were represented poorly in the review. So, it was not surprising that many of the Young People we spoke with felt that the new suggested SEND practice was causing more problems than it was fixing. We were all hoping to see something written about transition to higher education, supporting access to extracurricular activities and events so Disabled Young People can socialise like everyone else.

However, there appeared to be a lack of understanding that Disabled students are individuals with intersectional identities and lifestyles, not just people who go to school/college.

Young People were hoping this SEND review would address the variety in what support you get at school/college, depending on where you live, and offer a strategy to avoid this postcode lottery. However, instead, it was just suggested that the support provided would be broken down into a tiered system, possibly causing further discrepancies in the support offered depending on where you fall on the scale. In addition, this medicalised categorising will negatively impact how Disabled Young People are perceived by peers, a problem that students want to improve, not exacerbate.

With everything in the media over the last few years about the importance of positive mental health, we all thought it was a given that Disabled students’ Mental Health would be a large part of this review. But again, as this is not a core education issue, it does not seem to have been deemed important enough to discuss in detail.

Representation within the curriculum was another critical point we hoped to see a demand for. Relationship and Sex education does not even cater to Disabled Students, yet there was no mention of this being discriminatory within the review. How will we ever have an inclusive and diverse society if Young People are only represented if they are cis-gendered heterosexual white non-Disabled people?

If singular identities fail to be represented, there does not appear to be any chance of us seeing our intersectional lives and identities being embraced.

It was mentioned in the Green paper that more effective training needs to be given to school staff, but will Young Disabled people and Disabled Peoples Organisations be involved in delivering this training?

If they are not involved, how can we be sure staff are taught skills that improve the experience of Disabled Students in education. We would all love to see more of the Social Model of Disability and less of the Medical Model being used in Education and SEND practice, as currently, we feel reduced to nothing but problems in need of fixing.

Fortunately, there are schools that have good SEND practice, yet the review did not mention any of those examples.

How are we to develop a strong and sustainable SEND framework if we do not highlight the positives and adopt the strategies that work?

It is not a race to see who the best school for Disabled students is; it is about creating an inclusive society where Young Disabled People are empowered, educated and equal.

By Melody Powell
(She/They)

A Conversation with Parents of Disabled Children

By Sharon Smith

Listen to ‘A Conversation with Parents of Disabled Children’

As my daughter, who has Down syndrome, approached secondary school, I was keen to take time to explore my views on inclusion but also to try to find out what influenced my hopes and expectations for her education. As a result, I returned to study and undertook an Education Studies degree at the University of Winchester, following the Special and Inclusive education pathway. Fast forward eight years, my daughter has finished her first year at college and I am still exploring ideas relating to education and inclusion, but now it is through a doctoral research inquiry.

Over the last year, I have been in conversation with seven other parents of Disabled children, in which we have discussed parenting a Disabled child, experiences of educational inclusion and exclusion and their hopes for their child’s education. The aim of the research was to recognise tensions, contradictions, messiness, and complexity when discussing inclusive education, rather than necessarily being able to find a neat solution.

One of the clear aspects that is evident from this inquiry is the emotional demands placed on parents when attempting to secure an inclusive education for their child. There is an ‘emotional rollercoaster’ that has a wider impact on the whole family and also the parents’ mental health and their ability to maintain meaningful employment themselves. One parent described how they move ‘from these extreme highs when, you know, your child achieves something to these extreme lows when you have to sit down and detail, you know, all the things that they’re not good at and the things they can’t do and the things that they do wrong and the problems they have’.

“Hideous process fighting for your own child”

SEND processes and bureaucracy are particularly challenging for parents, with reports not being provided in advance of meetings, recommendations lacking specificity, emails and phone calls going unanswered, lack of attendance from key professionals, and poor or even illegal practice from local authorities. One parent described a sense that professionals follow generally follow protocol, but when it comes to SEN it ‘doesn’t matter’ what the law states. They described an opaque and hostile process that many parents find difficult to challenge, leaving them feeling powerless.

Parents also described teachers who claim to have no time to differentiate work, who ask children to repeat the same work that they are already struggling with, rather than find new ways to teach the content, who are rigid in the order the curriculum is followed, rather than building on topics their child enjoys and who rely on textbook descriptions about a diagnosis, rather than getting to know the child stood in front of them.

As a result many of the parents involved in this inquiry felt it necessary to become familiar with legislation so that they can ‘throw law around’. One of the parents described how it was ‘like doing a degree’ given the level of intensity and depth of research that is required to understand the complex system they are having to engage within. However, this was not the type of relationship that they wanted to have with either the school or the local authority.

“The people around him, really care about him, really want to make it work, really work very hard”

The parents involved in the research inquiry also provided examples of when positive inclusive practice had taken place and what made a difference – frequently it was individuals who were wanting to ‘make it work’ and therefore were willing to go ‘above and beyond’ and who would take their child under their wing. One parent described her son’s inclusion in a school nativity play, which was facilitated by a teacher who incorporated her son’s interest in babies and things that dangle, and she cast him as Joseph, holding a baby and a dangly star. The mother described how the teacher put her faith in her son and found a way for him to be able to participate fully in the school play.

Relationships with school leaders and teachers were of vital importance. Indeed, often when inclusion started to break down it was because of a change in school leadership or a key member of staff leaving, or at a transition stage, for example the move from Key Stage One to Key Stage Two, where education becomes more demanding, and expectations are raised. Inclusion is incredibly fragile and is currently reliant on the willingness of the individuals involved.

“Inclusive education can be different things to different pupils and different teachers. It needs to be individualised

Through our conversations, the parents involved in this inquiry identified a range of factors that are needed to encourage more inclusive relationships, namely:

Whilst recognising that structural issues such as education policy, national curriculum, accountability measures and funding remain problematic for the inclusion of Disabled children within education, these experiences demonstrate that often it is the human relationships within the setting that can shape the experiences that Disabled children and their parents have. It is possible to be creative and find ways to include children in a meaningful way despite the systemic barriers to inclusion that might exist. We all have a responsibility to work together to make this happen.

SEND Review: Wrong support, wrong place, wrong time and wrong direction!

Navin Kikabhai, ALLFIE Chairperson, summarises SEND Review findings

Listen to: ‘SEND Review: Wrong support, wrong place, wrong time and wrong direction!’

SEND Review consultation

You will without doubt be aware that ALLFIE has been holding consultation events with different audiences about the recent SEND Review. This is in response to the current government’s consultation document ‘SEND Review, right support, right place, right time’.

In brief it advances a pro-segregationist education system, a service-driven framework, suggesting that Alternative Provision be part of an already fragmented and segregated state system of education. Many Disabled people, including Young people, parents, and education professionals participated in ALLFIE’s SEND Review consultation events. There are a number of themes the review covers.

Here is a snapshot of what you can expect from ALLFIE’s response to this review.

According to the SEND Review, there are 3 key challenges:

  1. The outcomes for SEND learners are poor
  2. Navigating the system is not positive
  3. The current system does not provide value for money

For many years we have known that outcomes for Disabled Young people and children have been poor, even though their aspirations compared to their non-Disabled peer group are the same. It has been the case that navigating the SEND is negative, and that segregating Disabled Young people and children has always been a waste of money, not only in economic terms but also in social and cultural terms.

Over numerous years, we have also known that parental choice has been a convenient strategy for the UK Government to avoid its obligations to meet the progressive realisation of Inclusive Education. This consultation is it at odds with the Children and Family Act 2014 (Section 34, specifically the presumption of mainstream education), the Equality Act 2010, and the UNCRPD (2006), in particular Article 24 on Inclusive Education. It also omits to acknowledge intersectional experiences, and children’s’ rights.

The SEND Review suggests a digitised EHCP process, and proposes to introduce an inclusion dashboard, which is expected to monitor how the system is performing across education, health and care.

It is the case that the EHCP process is a service, categorical and needs-based driven process. What is needed is a children-focused process, based on Disabled young people and children being involved in the decision-making process, framed around a children’s-rights framework. There are also proposals for developing post-16 provision. What is found is that further education providers continue to segregate Disabled learners in discrete provision offering so-called inclusive learning courses. Proposals for a SENCO training qualification at Level 3 (A-level) is suggested, when previous this was set at Level 7 (postgraduate). Effective SENCo training requires far more insight that what is being proposed. Currently, SENCOs have to contend with a hostile educational environment some effectively working with colleagues to ensure positive learning experiences. Many are performing multiple roles. At its worst much of the existing training perpetuates the medical model and category-based understanding of Disabled young people and children’s experiences. Reducing the level of understanding will only perpetuate frustrations on all sides.

With regard to Alternative Provision, there are young people who have been left abandoned, without any service accountability. Children, young people with and without EHCP are often in one-to-one sessions. Individuals adults do not require any formal teaching qualifications, young people are not required to follow the National Curriculum. There is, as there is with Pupil Referral Units, an overrepresentation of Black and minoritized young people in these settings. Of course, there is money to be made – Alternative Provision is expensive, so much for ‘value for money’!

The SEND Review is also looking for metrics to measure local and national performance, obsessed as governments are with a standards agenda. No mention is made about measures for social justice. There are other concerning proposals as well. There are many things wrong with this SEND Review. Given recent government turmoil, its inability to function and the obvious in-fighting, between the wannabe next Prime Minister, it seems that the SEND Review has ended up as being the wrong support, in the wrong place, and at the wrong time! Expanding an already fragmented education system is not the direction in which to pursue our obligations under the UNCRPD (2006). Many Disabled young people are systematically excluded, the role of academies have only perpetuated and made familiar the segregation of Disabled young people and children. Education Ministers will also come and go, their commitment should be to ensure education is inclusive, accessible and enabling spaces free from inequality and discrimination.

Supported by

ALLFIE’s campaign for Inclusive Education as a human right is backed by funders and donors who reject the systemic segregation of Disabled people from society.