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(January
2002)
Numbers with statements
- The number of children with a statement
of SEN in Wales decreased during 2001 - by almost 300,
bringing the total with a statement to 17,118 by January
2002.
- The number of children newly assessed
as requiring a statement also decreased during 2001
- The proportion of new statements given
to pupils under 5 continues to increase. In 2001, 21%
of new statements were for pupils under 5, compared to
14% in 1996
Inclusion
- 93% of children with statements were
educated within their "home" local authority
- 37% of those educated outside their "home"
authority attended maintained special schools
- The percentage of pupils educated in
mainstream schools - whether in the "home authority" or
outside - varied considerably across LEAs. from 90% in
Ceredigion (which does not have a special school) to 21%
in Bridgend
(Source: National Statistics, SDR 25/2002
19th June 2002)
More than one in five pupils - about 1,750,000
- are now on special educational needs registers in maintained
schools in England and Wales.
In primary schools, the proportion of pupils
with special needs but without statements rose to 21% in January
2001 - nearly 4% more than in 1997. At secondary level, nearly
18% of pupils are in this category - a rise of 3.5% since
1967.
There has been less of a marked increase in
pupils with statements. At primary level, the proportion has
grown from 1.4% to 1.7% and at secondary, from 2.3% to 2.6%.
The proportion of pupils with statements who
are placed in mainstream nursery, primary and secondary schools
has increased from 57.2% in 1997 to 61.4% in January 2001.
Source of statistics: DFEE, May 16 2001
(TES 6 July 2001)
- The number of pupils with statements of
special educational needs in schools in Wales fell slightly
from 16,984 in January 2000 to 16,880 in January 2001.
(Source: National Statistics Wales - Schools' Census
2001)
A record number of state school pupils in England
now have statements of special educational need. The total
stands at over
a quarter of a million - the equivalent of 3.1%
of the school population. More that 60% of pupils with statements
are in mainstream primary and secondary schools.
Table to show the number of pupils in England
with statements of special educational needs
|
Nursery |
Primary |
Secondary |
Special |
Pupil referral units |
| 1994 |
318 |
50,112 |
50,142 |
83,673 |
- |
| 1996 |
425 |
61,698 |
65,137 |
87,458 |
1,828 |
| 1998 |
440 |
67,014 |
73,956 |
87,931 |
1,798 |
| 2000 |
478 |
72,525 |
79,788 |
86,877 |
1,766 |
| 2001 |
600 |
75,300 |
82,100 |
87,400 |
1,800 |
However, access to a special needs statement continues
to be something of a postcode lottery, or at least depends upon
the region of England or local education authority in which
a child lives. The fact that only 1.5% of primary pupils in
the West Midlands have statements, but 2% of those in the South-west
and Yorkshire and Humberside have raises interesting questions.
(TES, 2 November 2001)
Half a million families
in the UK are affected by autism, but still no one knows why
the numbers are increasing. The National Autistic Society
has released its report Autism in Schools: Crisis Or Challenge
after surveying seven local authorities.
One child in 86 has autism-related
special education needs and one in 152 has a formal diagnosis
of an "autism spectrum disorder". Two-thirds of teachers think
they see more children with such a disorder than they did
five years ago.
Some experts blame the
use in Britain of the controversial triple vaccine against
measles mumps and rubella. Some vaguely blame "something environmental"
for the increase in autism while others argue that the 'increase'
is merely the result of more accurate diagnosis.
(Daily Mail, 10 December
2002)
Children with autism may be struggling on undiagnosed
at secondary school or even be excluded altogether from mainstream
education, according to a report from the National Autistic
Society.
The society surveyed teachers from seven local
authorities, and found that they reported three times as many
children with autistic spectrum disorders in primary schools
as they did in secondary schools - one in 80 in primary education
compared with one in 268 in secondary.
The society's report questions what the discrepancy
signifies, since the rise in autism has been partly attributed
to better diagnosis.
The report calls for the Department for Education
and Skills to sponsor research to establish minimum standards
for the education of children with autistic spectrum disorders
and to monitor how schools were working with them.
(The Guardian, 13 May 2002)
Half of primary schools have at least one autistic
pupil, according to new figures released in mid May 2000.
Autism is a developmental condition which affects social and
communication skills.
Research by Dr Fiona Scott of Cambridge University
suggests that one in 175 Cambridgeshire children has been
diagnosed as autistic. This is 15 times more than previously
estimated. Other survey findings released in the same week
by the National Autistic Society indicate that autistic children
are 20 times more likely to be excluded from school than their
peers.
It is estimated that supporting autistic people
costs around £3 billion per year. But many parents feel
that teachers need more training in how to deal with autistic
children.
For further information contact www.one-world.org/autism_uk
or the National Autistic Society, tel: 0207 903 3593.
(TES, 19 May 2000)
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