green paper on sen and disability

I have been reading through the green paper on sen and disability and one point really stood out for me

• ensuring that schools do not identify pupils as having special educational needs when they simply need better teaching

Having watched the maths programme in Rachels lesson, this highlighted how poor some of the teachers own maths skills are, so should we have more assessment of the quality of teaching in schools, rather than assuming its the pupil who has needs?

Being a parent of an sen child I would welcome the ability to manage a personal budget, thus allowing me to decide what is needed for my child.  Although I can see the need for some parents to have the budget spending decision made for them.  The proposals in the green paper allow for both scenarios.

I too would welcome the proposal of  a single multi agency assessment having experienced telling the same thing over and over again to lots of different people over a space of time.

Green Paper SEN

http://www.edcm.org.uk/media/176/green_paper_on_sen_and_disability_edcm_initial_summary_march2011.pdf

The green paper on special educational needs and disability - Commons Library Standard Note

Published 11 January 2012 | Standard notes SN05917

Authors: Christine Gillie

Topic: Local authorities: education, Schools, Special educational needs

This Standard Note briefly outlines the current special educational needs (SEN) system in England, and highlights the main proposals in the Government’s green paper on special educational needs and disability. A selection of initial reaction to the green paper is provided. The note also provides information on the pathfinder programme to test key elements of the green paper’s proposals. It includes provision for local authorities to test in a pilot scheme the use of direct payments for educational provision for children and young people with SEN or disability.

The green paper, Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability, proposes:

• a new approach to identifying SEN through a single early years setting-based category and school-based category of SEN;

• a new single assessment process and Education, Health and Care Plan by 2014;

• local authorities and other services to set out a local offer of all services available;

• the option of a personal budget by 2014 for all families with children with a statement of SEN or a new Education, Health and Care Plan;

• strengthening parental choice of school, for either a mainstream or special school; and

• changing the assessment process to make it more independent.