Now in its 21st edition, this guide contains a comprehensive directory of independent and non-maintained schools in the UK, which provide for children with sensory or physical impairment; learning difficulties; social, emotional and behavioural difficulties; and autism spectrum disorders. It also includes information on further education colleges; editorials written by experts in their field; an appendix of maintained schools; contact details of useful associations.
Special needs provision continues to be the focus of much attention. A growing emphasis on the importance of meeting individual and often complex needs means that finding the right school for your child can be a complicated process. Schools for Special Needs is an indispensable aid for anyone investigating the legal and practical aspects of SEN provision for children and young people at all stages of education. Included in this edition: assessment and identification of needs, statementing, suitable provision and school choice coverage of all special needs from ADHD and Autism to Speech and Language Difficulty and Visual Impairment where to seek help, parents' rights and the role of the local authority the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice directories of independent and non-maintained special schools, colleges and support services state-maintained special schools, and mainstream independent schools with specialist provision To see schools online, visit the Guide's website at www.schoolsforspecialneeds.co.uk
South Africas provincial education departments have been reduced to provincial administrations, for reasons that include the powerful role national government plays in delivering education services. This book looks in detail at education spending and asks: Can we afford to maintain administrations that cannot possibly change the course of poor quality education and engineer a brighter future for our poor and deprived learners? The authors believe this question and the future role of provincial education departments need to be discussed, openly and publicly, without delay.
This report shows that, where comparable data is available, course outcomes for young people aged 16-25 receiving special educational support are improving at similar or better rates than those for all students within this age group. This performance has been achieved while known average special education funding per head has decreased in schools and further education colleges. However, parents, students and local authorities do not always have the information they need to choose the school or college that best meets the young person's needs given the available funding. Assessments of young people's needs vary in quality, and local authorities do not always consider the full costs to the public purse of different placement options. There is insufficient knowledge about total cost of provision. In addition, there are wide variations between local areas in the percentages of young people studying in different provider types (such as schools and colleges), and in the availability and use of specialist provision. The Department, in its 2011 Green Paper, has proposed significant changes to special education from birth to the age of 25. The NAO report suggests that providing appropriate support for young people with special needs has the potential to deliver longer-term benefits for students and to the public purse. The Department should address current limitations in information, and better understand the relationships between needs, costs and outcomes so that it can secure value for money from its expenditure in this area.
The purpose of this book is to explore the phenomenon of transition as it relates to the field of special education within the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. First, the authors investigate transition in the field of special education with respect to historical developments and the shifting prominence of diverse guiding theories. Second, we examine the process of transition in a wide range of special education contexts, including transitions from home to school, school to work, and across other contexts and types of support. The target audience for the book includes authors and researchers in academic and government research institutions, professionals working in special education and related fields, as well as students at graduate and doctoral levels. There are 16 chapters with contributions from the editors and 15 other international authors: Jorun Buli-Holmberg, David L. Cameron, Camilla Brørup Dyssegaard, Niels Egelund, Astrid Birgitte Eggen, Britta Hannus-Gullmets, Camilla Herlofsen, Maryann Jortveit, Velibor Bobo Kova?, Ingrid Lund, Johan Malmqvist, David Mitchell, Sven Nilsen, Heidi Omdal, Kristina Ström, Ragnar Thygesen, and Anne Dorthe Tveit.
This volume provides an international perspective on special education issues. There is limited literature examining issues in special education from an international perspective, as such this volume will add considerably to the knowledge base across the globe.
The global trend in educational participation has brought with it a cross-national consequence: the expansion of students with "special needs" (SEN) placed in special education and the growth of "low achieving" students diverted to vocational tracks. This book explores the global expansion of special and vocational education as a highly variable event, not only across nations of considerable economic, political and cultural difference, but between nations with evident similarities as well. The Global Convergence of Vocational and Special Education analyzes how the concept of secular benevolence underscores the divergent and convergent trajectories that vocational and special education have taken across the globe. The authors embrace national differences as the means to observe two dicta of comparative research: similar origins can result in very different outcomes, and similar outcomes can be the result of very different origins.
Grounded in research and expanding on current trends and contemporary issues, the new edition of Gargiulo's text provides an easy-to-read introduction to special education.
Must Inclusion be Special? examines the discord between special and inclusive education and why this discord can only be resolved when wider inequalities within mainstream education are confronted. It calls for a shift in our approach to provision, from seeing it as a conglomeration of individualised needs to identifying it as a conglomeration of collective needs. The author examines the political, medical and cultural tendency of current times to focus upon the individual and contrasts this with the necessity to focus on context. This book distinguishes the theoretical perspectives that are often associated with special or inclusive education and the broad range of interests which depend upon their ongoing development. This examination leads to a problematisation of mainstream education provision, our understanding of why social inequities emerge and how additional support can overcome these inequities. Further chapters explore the underlying challenges which emerge from our use and understanding of the notions of special and inclusive, outlining an alternative approach based upon a community of provision. This approach recognises the interconnectedness of services and the significance of context, and it encapsulates the aspiration of much international legislation for participation and inclusion for all. But it also assumes that we tend towards diffuse practices, services, policies, settings and roles, spread across provision which is variously inclusive and exclusionary. In seeking to create equitable participation for all, support needs to shift its focus from the individual to this diffuse network of contexts. Must Inclusion be Special? emerges from the research base which problematises inclusion and special education, drawing upon examples from many countries. It also refers to the author’s research into pedagogy, language and policy, and his experiences as a teacher and the parent of a child identified with special educational needs.
While the provision in Children’s and Young People’s Services endures much change and turbulence, the calling for well qualified and critically reflective practitioners remains ever present. This innovative and accessible core textbook explores the key themes, ideas, concepts and topics that are central to practitioners working across the 0-19 sector. It aims to help students develop the professional knowledge, practical skills and core values they need to work effectively with children and young people. Clearly divided into four sections; the practitioner, the learner, the workplace and the community, the book covers a broad range of issues including: The different roles and responsibilities of the workforce Multi-agency working and its challenges Working with parents, carers and the community Supporting children with additional needs and meeting the needs of gifted learners Work-based reflective practice Language learning and communication At each stage the book facilitates opportunities for personal and professional reflection, discussion, debate and action through case studies, activities, reflective tasks, areas for further consideration, and annotated further readings. The text also features a glossary of terms and links to practice standards. The book is supported by a free companion website featuring instructor resources such as assignable case studies, reflective tasks and activities, tables and figures from the book available to download, and sample chapters from the book; and student resources including helpful links to further information, links to relevant video material, and an interactive flashcard glossary. Empowering the Children’s and Young People’s Workforce seeks to empower the reader by supporting their initial and continuing professional development, enabling them to positively influence provision for children and young people. It is essential reading for anyone studying or working in this sector.
