Yes there is some sympathy with your position re those that want to learn – but please let us not forget that these children you are labelling as disruptive etc are ALL still people – people with rights and needs.

I suppose my worry is that you really need to distinguish between those who have special (and as yet unidentified/not supported or identified and poorly supported) needs from those who are just plain oiks and dont want to learn. Because the former have every bit as much need to learn, sometimes more (if they are gifted and special needs) it’s just that they do not, in this desperately underfunded system where it pays NOT to identify special needs for budget reasons, have enough or enough of the right sort of support which would allow them to learn and to benefit from the education that they (just as much as any other) are entitled to.

The latter, well I am not qualified to say what should happen in their case but I do know that there is a HUGE difference both in terms of how reachable and teachable they are and in terms of the benefits of reaching these kids. THAT is what really worries me – that people in their almost self-richeous indignation fail to realise there is a world of difference and lump them all together. WRONG evil and downright damaging to the kids and to society as a whole. SO many SEN kids get written off when they should NOT!

I have 3 special needs kids – one of whom would have in his early days (before diagnosis) been called disruptive – he was unable to learn. He wasnt terrible but things like fiddling with his pencil were called “sheer naughtiness” but he was termed disruptive. SO easily could he have been written off and indeed he would have been had he not had a *pushy* mother who demanded he receive proper support and help! NOW you tell me that he was not worth every bit of that help suppprt and understanding?? For that same no hope kid who was doomed to exclusion and a special needs school (read little in the way of educational attainment) has now graduated from uni with a 2.1.

HOW many of his so called deserving peers, who supposedly were disturbed by his *difficulties* did as well? How many of them went on to uni and graduate? In truth not many and no it wasnt because of HIM – its just because they simply didnt have the motivation or the intelligence!!! The point being that EVERYONE has the same entitlement and NO one is more entitled to learn than anyone else – disruption should be managed and no exclusion isnt the answer for either the excluded or the classmates – and you simply cannot write children off just because they have additional needs and/or cannot learn the same way as others

They were both firmly of the opinion also that “school councils” (with student involvement about ethos and rules) should be instigated, as they said the only people not consulted were pupils.
Also the said that debating societies should be allowed in ecery secondary school so that senior year students could express their views about life in general and things most important to them.

I was more than impressed, and feel that, despite the rigidity of the govt curriculum, students are now able to think for themselves, and have a need to be involved in and make decisions about their own education.
I left that presentation evening feeling that the view of education we see in the media ahould perhaps include the views of responsible children such as the ones I had been fortunate enough to meet.

John H

We need to differentiate between children, who with a little help (either changing the physical environment eg. wheelchair access or appropriate learning support) can fit into mainstream school and those who cannot. We then need to ensure that those who can’t fit in are not written off and offered a sub-optimal education, forgotten and dismissed by society.

I would like to see satellite schools as discussed on my website http://www.asteens.co.uk