It was a big day for me and Debs yesterday - two launches, some laughs and one inspiring speech that reminded us, if we needed it, that the right educational support can mean the difference between a life on benefits and a life making a contribution to society.
Katie Clarke, Debs, TaniaDebs was hosting a 'soft' launch of a new website, 'Bringing Us Together' with disability campaigner Katie Clarke and she'll be reporting on that here after the official launch next week.
Champion that she is, Debs broke off to collect me from Waterloo. It was my first time using South West Train's Assisted Travel with my wheelchair, but it's manual and elbow joint pain stops me wheeling myself far. I have my electric one picked out, I just have to pay for it - I'm sure many of you can empathise with that!
So, having spent some time talking 'BUT', off we headed, Debs gamely pushing while I marvelled that this really was the best way to see London. I'm lucky she didn't give me a close-up of the Thames. Don't miss the photo gallery at the end!
It was good to catch up briefly with Susan Spence, whom we met last year when we were invited to meet SEN Minister, Ed Timpson MP to talk about the Children & Families Bill. We hope that had some impact on the development of the Bill, but who knows?
We've long supported the fantastic charity Ambitious about Autism who were launching their #ruledout campaign to highlight the disproportionate number of children with autism who are excluded from school, both formally and through 'informal' and illegal school exclusion.
Rona Tutt, @nahtnews: "Sometimes simple strategies that all schools could use can make all the difference" #RuledOut pic.twitter.com/GMBMVh7S6Z
— AmbitiousAboutAutism (@AmbitiousAutism) February 11, 2014
Informal exclusion means for example, the child being sent home for the afternoon, to 'cool off', being put on part-time timetables or missing out on school trips because staff can't cope with them.
Tania signing campaign pledgeMany parents of "normal" children are only too happy that this happens so the child doesn't disrupt their own son or daughter and the rest of the class. But what about the excluded child? Is it okay for them to miss out on chunks of their education because the staffing levels or training are inadequate?
In fact, you could also consider a child informally excluded if they are actually in the class but can't access the curriculum that's being taught in the same way as other children, with no differentiation made to help them. Is it any wonder they find school difficult?
Ambitious About Autism carried out a survey of 500 parents that revealed
- 4 in 10 children with autism have been excluded informally and therefore illegally during their time at school.
- 20% of children with autism have been formally excluded in the past 12 months.
- Over half of parents of children with autism say they have kept their child out of school for fear that the school is unable to provide appropriate support
Shocking, isn't it? AaA have made a series of recommendations for schools and local authorities to ensure children with autism get the same access to school as all children. Their campaign will also create resources for parents, schools and local authorities to help support children with autism at school and they've already launched a Guide for parents.
What's the point of the campaign?
Ambitious about Autism is asking parents, teachers, schools and policy makers to support their campaign aims so that:
- Every family of a child with autism knows their rights, and has the resources to help their child get the support they are entitled to at school
- Every school has access to an autism specialist teacher, to build capacity among schools staff and to support children with autism to learn and achieve
- Every local authority sets out in its local offer the support available in its area to ensure children with autism have access to quality full-time education.
Tania talking to Chairman of the Education Select Committee, Graham Stuart MP.The Local Offer remember, is the offer of all available services for children and young people with SEN or disabilities that each authority needs to publish under the new SEN system from September 2014.
The launch, hosted by Graham Stuart MP, the chairman of the Education Select Committee was well attended by MPs and well known figures/campaigners in the SEN world. Even the Commons Speaker, John Bercow MP, whose son has autism and who along with his wife, Sally, has raised awareness for the condition, put in an attendance.
Dami Benbow, Youth Patron: "You can judge a society based on how it treats those who are different" #ruledout
— AmbitiousAboutAutism (@AmbitiousAutism) February 11, 2014
Dami Benbow, Ambitious About Autism Youth PatronBut the person who made the most impact on me was Ambitious about Autism Youth Patron, Dami Benbow. A young man with Asperger Syndrome, Dami gave an impassioned speech, without notes, about the difference that getting the right support had meant to him.
Dami,* from South London, is now in his final year at University. He spoke of how, without the right support he could have ended up hopeless, unemployed or potentially even a gang member as he sought his place in society.
Instead, he is studying hard, making his mark already as a young politician (even if he doesn't yet realise it) and even gave me some good advice for my own son with AS.
The aims of the #ruledout campaign are pretty simple and are not asking for anything more than a child without additional needs expects and gets every day of their school lives - appropriate teaching and access to resources that can help them learn and achieve their potential.
Who wouldn't want that for their child? Why not add your name to the campaign pledge and help make that a reality for every child with autism?
What's your experience of exclusion - official or unofficial for your special needs child?
*We aim to bring you more of Dami's speech soon
Tania is an experienced broadcast and print journalist & author. She also runs a PR, web & social media consultancy, SocialOro Media.
Tania is a rare disease & chronic pain patient advocate with Ehlers Danlos syndrome.
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I am a parent of a child with aspergers’ syndrome who is one of those ‘statistics’ and unfortunately who has suffered massively the last few years at school. My son is one of the case studies for the campaign and we were there at the launch yesterday too, it’s such an important campaign for us. It’s great to see it being talked about by you guys, who I have followed on fb for a while now. I agree about Dami’s speech. It was amazing, inspirational and left me very emotional but very hopeful that my som can have a chance to be successful and happy like Dami.
Thanks Clare, it was a fantastic launch and well done to your son for taking part. I thought the children there were the most important participants to remind the politicians of who it’s all about.
This has kind of stopped me in my tracks, definitely food for thought. I always say our school are so good because they are so flexible with my girl, and have never once tried to exclude her – in fact they push to include her, but there is a limit to what they can do, and the point about her not being able to access the curriculum in the same way as all the other children really struck home. Is it OK that they leave her unengaged to wander the classroom because by doing that she is not creating a fuss? It’s a tricky tightrope. Am definitely behind this campaign. Through work I hear of so many who are excluded. It’s just not right.
I too was at the launch event and my child is also a case study in the campaign. Dami’s speech was fantastic (it should be shown to all school’s and LA’s)
and I really do hope that the campaign will make a difference.
My concern, and my experience, is that LA’s will turn a blind eye to illegal exclusions as it saves them having to put appropriate, and often more costly, provision in place. The LGO have even informed me that although my child was legally entitled to a full time education, they find ‘no fault’ with the LA not supplying this! There is therefore no accountability, or any action taken, if LA’s do not comply with their legal duty to provide a child with an education.
The school that illegally excluded my child for many months ‘hid’ all the absences by using the wrong code on their registers. The LA were advised of this yet did nothing so again there was no accountability. Unless this changes and these bodies are held to account children will continue to be deprived of an education.
Thanks for your comment- and I too hope the campaign helps. I would like to feature more stories and examples, so if you would like to tell your story please let me know!