Benefits and Difficulties of Including Children with Special Needs in Mainstream School - Essay Example

? Benefits and difficulties of including children with special needs in mainstream school Benefits and difficulties of including children with special needs in mainstream school Introduction Including children with special needs in mainstream schools has always been a controversial and debatable issue in many regions all over the world (Central Advisory Council for Education 1967). According to MacKay (2001), in the United Kingdom (UK), any significant improvements in the quality of education go hand in hand with the level of access and inclusion. Glashan (2002) notes that educational policies in the UK are aimed at creating responsive, quality and flexible learning environments that are meant to benefit all children, including the marginalized groups such as the disabled children. This paper will focus on primary education in the UK, specifically discussing the benefits and difficulties of including children with special needs in mainstream schools. The essay will be based on current legislation on primary education within the UK. This paper will also refer to the UK national curriculum with the sole aim of identifying the policies and legislations dealing with the including children with special needs in mainstream primary schools. A lot of legislations, European conventions, national constitutional laws and international conventions support the right to education for all. They all support the general principle that children with disabilities can still be educated in regular schools (Ball 2003). Issues of inclusion of children with special needs have always been under debate because of the many differing opinions held by different people (Ross 2000). The perceptions of children with disabilities in the United Kingdom have had a shift in paradigm from the common medical model to social model then to the participative model. People with disabilities were for a long time viewed as patients with serious physical problems that are caused by diseases, accidents or other health conditions. This has changed to a more holistic approach in which they are considered as citizens with rights to self-determination and individual support. Many international conventions like the UN Convention on the rights of people with disabilities have been responsible for marking these paradigm shifts (Warnock 1978). MacKay (2002) notes that children with special needs are those who have conditions such as blindness, deafness, multiple impairments, physical impairments, behavior problems and learning difficulties among others. According to Etienne and Gendron (2008), inclusive education is a process that seeks to increase the participation of all students in schools, including students who have disabilities. It entails structuring policies, practices and cultures in schools so that they can respond to the diversity of their students. In the UK, Inclusive education acknowledges that all children need to be in schools and learn. The difference in children are also acknowledged and respected in inclusive education. The structures, methodologies and systems of education are enabled to meet the needs of all children, including those with disabilities (Glashan 2002). According to the Warnock report (1978), special education is considered a separate system of education whereby disabled children are educated in special schools. These schools are organized and equipped to meet their special educational needs. They operate on the basis that mainstream schools do not have the ability to address the needs of children who have special needs. Special education is usually provided in special schools that are equipped for catering to the needs of children with special needs (Leathwood, Ross, Moreau, Rollock & Williams 2008). According to the International for Policy Studies in Education (2008), education in the United Kingdom plays a very crucial role in maintenance and construction of equalities and social advantages. The Warnock report notes that education in the UK is currently compulsory for all children aged 5 to 16. Participation is highly encouraged for all ages. Children with special needs have been seen as a disadvantaged group that suffers from educational disadvantage. In an effort to avert this situation, many educational stakeholders have campaigned for children with special needs to be included in mainstream schools while others have totally been opposed to this idea. As seen earlier in this essay, including children with special needs in mainstream schools has its benefits and difficulties as discussed below. Benefits A lot of the policies regarding the inclusion of children with special needs in UK mainstream primary schools are derived from the Warnock report (1978). The report suggests that at any given time, at least 2% of the population in a school would be considered disabled and in need of specialist and specific provision. This level of specific specialty provision is normally provided within mainstream schools. The same report also noted that 10% of the population of children in schools requires specialist provision at some given point during their education (Bushrod 1995). These two provisions have seen a lot of changes take place in the laws of UK with the aim of eliminating discrimination against children with special needs. Therefore, one benefit is to eliminate discrimination against this disadvantaged group. Reay (2006) notes that separating these children and educating them in special schools can lead to a sense of discrimination since they will not feel as part of other children in mainstream schools. It is therefore advantageous to include them in mainstream schools so as to eliminate discrimination (Leathwood 2007). The government in UK has always been committed to dealing with educational disadvantages. This is evident from the educational policy initiatives and legislative developments. Another benefit is that special schools are usually not readily available in the immediate environment of the child (Evans, Harden & Thomas 2004). It is therefore easier for these children to attend mainstream schools and undergo the same education as other children so that they are not disadvantaged. The Warnock report (1978) reported that the system of teaching in special schools is very expensive in special schools. Not all children with special needs can comfortably afford to attend special schools and be sustained there. It is therefore beneficial to include such children in mainstream schools (Booth & Ainscow 2002). Difficulties Including children with special needs in mainstream schools also has a lot of challenges. Policy makers in the education sector in the UK note that it is not an easy task. Among the reasons cited include the fact that mainstream schools usually do not have adequate capacity and resources to satisfy the educational needs of children with special needs (Chapman & Hesketh 2001). Children with special needs are those that are blind, deaf and dumb, or suffer from learning difficulties, mental conditions, behavior problems and physical disabilities. These conditions require special facilities and resources to deal with them. Most mainstream schools are not fully equipped with these resources and facilities. They therefore cannot effectively deal with the educational needs of such children (Booth & Ainscow 2002). Another difficulty is experienced when supporting teachers in mainstream schools to satisfy the educational needs of children with special needs. Research shows that most teachers in mainstream schools do not have adequate training in special education. These teachers do not receive adequate support from other stakeholders in helping such children. This presents a lot of difficulties and challenges in effectively educating such children (Evans, Harden & Thomas 2004). Recommendations A lot of influential participants in the educational system have recommended useful strategies to deal with the inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream schools. Warnock (1978) recommends that if the aspect of special needs schools is expensive for many, there should be policies that make it affordable and regulate costs so that children who need to attend special schools can afford to do so. Mainstream schools should also have facilities and resources that enable those that require the mainstream schools’ experience have a chance to attend them (Warnock 1978). There should also be schools for all, that is, both mainstream schools and special schools so that people can make the choice of which schools they want to attend because education is a basic human right. All types of schools should be equipped to deal with SEN. Conclusion Children with special needs should be included in education. As seen in the essay, including children with special needs in mainstream schools has its benefits and difficulties. It is the duty of the UK government to make sure that the benefits are maximized and the difficulties are addressed so that the educational system can be effective and beneficial for all children, including those with special needs. References Ball, S.J., 2003. Class strategies and the education market: the middle classes and social advantage, Routledge Falmer, London. Booth, T. & Ainscow, M., 2002. Index for inclusion: developing learning and participation in schools, 2nd ed., Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education, Bristol. Bushrod, G., 1995. An evaluation of a simpli?ed daily report system with two kindergarten pupils. BC Journal of Special Education, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 35-43. Butler, T., Hamnett, C., Ramsden, M. & Webber, R., 2007. The best, the worst and the average: secondary school choice and education performance in East London. Journal of Education Policy, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 7-29. Central Advisory Council for Education, 1967. Children and their primary schools (the Plowden Report), HMSO, London. Chapman, R.S. & Hesketh, L., 2001. Language, cognition, and short-term memory in individuals with Down syndrome. Down Syndrome Research and Practice, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 1-7. Etienne, R. & Gendron, B., 2008. Country Report: France, Educational Policies that Address Social Inequality, IPSE, London. Evans, J., Harden, A. & Thomas, J., 2004. What are effective strategies to support pupils with emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBD) in mainstream primary schools: Findings from a systematic review of research. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 2-16. [online] Available at http://teach.newport.ac.uk/sen/SEN_0506/BD_common/EBDsupport.pdf Glashan, L., 2002. Support for mainstream teachers working with children on the autistic spectrum, unpublished MSc. thesis, Faculty of Education, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Leathwood, C., 2007. Gender equity in post secondary education, Sage, London. Leathwood, C., Ross, A., Moreau, M.P., Rollock, N. & Williams, K., 2008. Country Report: The United Kingdom, educational policies that address social inequality, IPSE, London. MacKay, G., 2001. More lessons from the periphery. Improving Schools, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 17-22. MacKay, G., 2002. The disappearance of disability: thoughts on a changing culture. British Journal of Special Education, vol. 29, vol. 4, pp. 159-163. Reay, D., 2006. The zombie stalking English schools: social class and educational inequality. British Journal of Educational Studies, vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 288-307. Ross, A., 2000. Curriculum: construction and critique, Falmer, London. Warnock, H.M., 1978. Special educational needs. (The Warnock Report), HMSO, London. Read More