Contributions from: Jane Wearmouth, Chris Gavell and Claire Lazarus.
Abstract
This symposium will explore a variety of perspectives on parents' experiences and views on inclusive education and the concept of parent partnership. The barriers to the full inclusion of all children and young people in England, since the 1981 Education Act, will be examined. The impact of policy changes such as the Code of Practice, (DfEE, 1994) and the DfEE Action Programme 'Meeting Special Educational Needs - A Programme for Action' (DfEE, 1998) will provide a focus for consideration of future developments for inclusive education and parent power. The organisation of support for special and inclusive education on a regional basis will be reflected upon. How can there be more co-operation between different agencies, and how can parents' voices be heard more effectively?
Alice Paige-Smith: Choosing Inclusion - the power of parents in
Special Education
This paper will consider parent empowerment and
inclusive education for children and young people who experience difficulties
in learning or have a disability. Parents' views and experiences on inclusive
education and parental choice of inclusion will be presented. How to overcome
barriers to full inclusion, according to the experiences and views of parents
will be described. The possibilities for the development of full inclusion and
parent partnership will be explored in the light of parents' experiences and
the barriers in policy and practice.
Chris Gravell: 'I Hear You' - What Does Partnership Mean?'
Is
there a lack of clarity between LEAs and provision for inclusive education ?
This paper will consider the action of LEAs and the provision for the inclusion
of children who experience difficulties in learning or who have a disability. I
will present a case study of my personal experiences as a parent active in
ensuring the full inclusion of my child into a mainstream school in order to
illustrate the difficulties parents experience. Can generalisations and the
promotion of inclusion be drawn from individuals' experiences of winning
tribunals and ensuring entitlement for provision on statements of special
educational needs?
Claire Lazarus - Models of Good Practice and Parent Partnership
This paper will consider parent partnership schemes within the Eastern
region of England. A notion of what is considered to be good practice in the
development of a partnership relationship with parents on a regional basis will
be explored. The challenges of supporting parents through effective
inter-agency work issues will be examined on a regional basis.
Janice Wearmouth - Parents' wishes and the School Special Needs
Register
The Code of Practice (Department for Education, 1994,
paragraphs 2.28 - 2.32) acknowledges the importance of 'partnership' with
parents. Teachers are expected to 'take account of the wishes, feelings and
knowledge of parents at all stages' of the 'carefully planned and recorded
actions' (op cit. para 2.28) taken in response to a child's difficulties.
However, there is evidence to show that one of the Code's recommendations,
namely maintaining the school Register of Special Needs, is, in practice, taken
as a given, with little consideration of its effectiveness in adding to the
quality of a school's special provision in a manner which is in accordance with
the wishes of parents. The result of a small-scale study in a mixed
comprehensive upper school appear to indicate that maintaining a Register of
identified pupils is not necessarily compatible with the ability to sustain
positive working relationships with parents. Little account seems to have bee
taken of the fact that parents might have very good reasons for not wishing
their child's name to be recorded on a Register and what should be the
consequences if this is the case.
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