澳门六合彩

Supporting pupils with a special educational need or disability is a top priority, but is progress really being made?

With 93m children living with a disability and the OECD forecasting that a further one-fifth of students may develop a special educational need or disability (SEND), inclusivity is now a top priority for many international schools.

Several high-profile declarations in recent years allude to the growing interest in providing access to education for children with a disability, disorder, difficulty, impairment, exceptionality or any other condition that can affect their access to and ability to learn, as SEND is typically defined.

Nowhere is the inclusivity push more evident than in the UAE, where Dubai has developed an , which seeks to promote greater inclusion for SEND students. The framework, part of Dubai鈥檚 鈥淰ision 2020鈥� economic plan, is based on global best-practice and research. It outlines 10 standards that can ensure inclusion in education 鈥� including early identification, support systems, and cultural change.

According to Samantha Garner, a special educational needs coordinator, teacher and mental health specialist, such measures are a response to the increased awareness and understanding of the way SEND pupils learn, in addition to competition among international schools to enrol more students as the market for private education continues to flourish.

鈥淭he third reason is that the English education system, which is well-respected and widely used by international schools, especially in the Middle East, is moving to a more inclusive style. Schools are following the English lead,鈥� she says.

In practice, these inclusion initiatives take many forms. For Lucinda Willis, principal for wellbeing at the Nagoya International School in Japan, inclusion 鈥渋s about knowing your students and building learning to meet their needs 鈥� not trying make them fit your definitions or structures鈥�.

鈥淎s we understand more about how people learn it becomes clear that education can鈥檛 be a 鈥榦ne size fits all approach鈥�,鈥� she says. 鈥淪tudents who were successful in traditional educational systems; compliant, rule-following, with strong memory; those people don鈥檛 have the skills needed for twenty-first-century employment. We need innovators and mavericks. This requires an inclusive approach to education.鈥�

What have been her most effective inclusion policies? For one, creating an assessment policy which gives teachers the freedom to assess individuals for progress rather than attainment, she says.

At ACS Athens, an international school in Greece, there is extended testing time for exams and weekly consultations with students who need extra support, according to Christiana Perakis, the school鈥檚 director of Learning Enhancement Programmes.

She says that there鈥檚 not a silver-bullet solution, but she adds that communication across the school, and with parents, is vital. 鈥淥ne thing that we highly value is collaboration among teachers, counselors, special education tutors and parents,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ecause it helps the pupils get on board as it normalises the whole support process.鈥�

Adding teaching assistants or learning support assistants are other well-used inclusion policies, yet Garner argues that their impact is limited: 鈥淲e see TAs as the holy grail of SEND support, but that鈥檚 not the case. They can hinder progress if they aren鈥檛 trained correctly, as they focus on task completion rather than the process of learning,鈥� she says.

鈥淭hey can also hinder social interaction with the rest of the class,鈥� Garner adds. 鈥淭he most qualified staff member should be spending the most time with the child with the highest need. And that鈥檚 the teacher.鈥�

Indeed, Willis argues that we must go further than simply adding-on siloed inclusion initiatives. 鈥淧utting inclusion at the heart of the school鈥檚 decision making is the most effective policy,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not an add-on, it鈥檚 the basis for good educational practice.鈥�

While schools are doing much to be more inclusive, there is still stigma surrounding learning difficulties and disability in schools. Some administrators are under pressure to reject SEND students from parents who fear that they could hold back the rest of the class, or impact the school鈥檚 overall test results or positions in league tables, according to Garner.

Consequently, some parents feel hesitant to disclose a child鈥檚 learning difficulty, knowing that even if they are admitted, they could face discrimination, she says. 鈥淚ndependent schools have regularly reported that parents find the SEND label or mental health label as shameful,鈥� she adds.

鈥淭he mentality is often that, 鈥榤y child is fine; it鈥檚 the teacher鈥檚 fault or they just have to work harder鈥�. And the other extreme is the parent who wants the label for their child and almost views that as an excuse for poor performance or bad behaviour.鈥�

The long-term consequences of failure to diagnose a learning difficulty, or inadequate support can be negative and sometimes severe. According to a , a United Nations organisation which promotes international development, disability often intersects with other disadvantages to exacerbate children鈥檚 disadvantage. An analysis of 15 lower-income countries, including in Asia, found that in a majority of the countries, disability was strongly associated with lack of primary school completion and employment, and higher health expenditure. SEND pupils are also more likely to have a mental health condition, Garner says.

Perakis, at ACS Athens, says that it鈥檚 the child鈥檚 self-esteem that suffers the most 鈥� especially if they get a negative message from their parents. 鈥淭hat can get in the way of learning and growth, and sometimes it creates behavioural issues.鈥�

Yet teachers are, mostly, positive about the progress that has been made in becoming more inclusive schools. The international community and several national governments have pledged 鈥渆ducation for all children鈥�. One of the UN鈥檚 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals is: 鈥渆nsure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all鈥�.

Peggy Pelonis, dean of academic and student affairs at ACS Athens, believes that a shift in attitude and behaviour is already well underway. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have buy in from all stakeholders at the beginning; there was a fear of what we were developing,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he majority of the people thought that SEND pupils would affect the standards of the school.鈥�

Now there is a noticeable change in the air, she says. 鈥淲e are addressing the issues, educating our community about it and providing resources for students to level the playing field.鈥�

With 263m children out of school globally, there is still a very long way to go. But many international schools are on the right path to inclusivity.

About the author

is a freelance journalist and editor with several years鈥� experience in print and online media. He regularly writes for titles such as the Financial Times, the Guardian and the Evening Standard, as well as a plethora of education and corporate magazines.

This article was originally published on .