Inclusion Now 43

Spring 2016 Issue 43

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A voice for the Inclusion Movement in the UK

An interview with

the Alderson family

Contents Editorial 2

Editorial

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The Alderson family Inclusion and the London Marathon

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Ofsted Consultation ALLFIE’s response

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Education cuts A threat to inclusion

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Tribute Gerv Leyden - an appreciation

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Other news and events Inclusion conference

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ALLFIE’s 25th anniversary 25 years of inclusive education

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Working together Disabled people and allies

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Poem - The Sting Maresa McKeith

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Book Review “A Very Capitalist Condition”

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e’re delighted that Wandsworth Talking W News have very kindly taken over reading Inclusion Now and are producing wonderfully read, high quality recordings for us in mp3 format. We hope to make these available online soon - but as always you will need to subscribe to receive Inclusion Now when it comes out! Please let us know if you would like to subscribe to the audio version.

One of the themes of this edition of Inclusion Now is how funding cuts affect inclusion, whether that’s the knock-on effect of cuts to CAMHS on exclusions in the UK or the effect of the economic downturn on inclusion internationally. Let’s hope that with disabled people and parents of disabled children working together (see page 12) we can flag up where this is happening and try to turn the tide.

We’ll be sending out a survey shortly all about Inclusion Now and our other communications, so please look out for that and let us know what you think. And in other news, we were very interested to see that Inclusion Now has a new reader, Jeremy Corbyn, when our regular contributor Richard Rieser sent in the photograph below!

Jess Cahill

International development Sustainability, DfID and inclusion

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Legal Question Cuts to CAMHS

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Cover photo: the Alderson family

Jeremy Corbyn reading Inclusion Now

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Parent voice the aldersons - family power

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ichard Alderson is the parent of Rebecca, a disabled student, and is running the London Marathon in April 2016 in support of ALLFIE. We asked Richard to tell us more about his family and why he feels so strongly about the importance of inclusive education. with carers, therapists, social workers, family, friends and others. Alison tends to all their needs and does it all with a smile on her face (mostly)!

“Dad works shifts at Nissan at Sunderland. Dad is essentially a part-time carer, doing the bulk of the driving, lifting and general maintenance. Sarah and Jordan, the newly-weds, live just down the road and practically live here too (meant in a nice way).

Anne and Norman, the in-laws, also live just down the road and spend a lot of time here too!

“All of these people are easily worth their weight in gold. Except dad, who would be measured in platinum!”

hy do you think it has been important for W Rebecca to be included in mainstream education?

“Simply put, it is important that Rebecca be included in mainstream education because at the end of the day, she is part of mainstream society. ell us something about the Alderson family If others are suggesting otherwise, would they and particularly Rebecca. be willing to drive the trains to the concentration “The Alderson family is quite close. Apart from camps? Am I exaggerating, perhaps, but they’re Rebecca, there’s Mam, Alison; Dad, Richard; sister, still discriminating.”

Sarah; brother-in-law, Jordan; and grandparents Anne and Norman. Mam stays at home and lounges hat have been the challenges? around. She watches all the soaps, Jeremy Kyle and messes around on eBay. Sarah works for only “The challenges have been many. Surprisingly, half the year as a teaching assistant and spends the people with the least amount of issues with the other half shopping. Both grandparents are Rebecca attending school have been her peers. retired so it falls upon the two hard working men “The council has been the most difficult to deal of the family to provide an income and stability for with. The council have always been happy to play everyone else. on problems and then claim that more money is “With all seriousness, Rebecca has quadriplegic needed and so prove their case that mainstream cerebral palsy and cannot walk and talk. She can is not/has not been appropriate. At one point they communicate but in a limited and customised were stating that one of the schools was going manner, which can only be understood by those to have to have an extension built onto it, so that close to her. Mam stays home and is constantly on Rebecca would have some toileting facilities. In call for Rebecca. Alison is an excellent organiser, the end, a small store room was converted and a she needs to be! The house is a constant circus, changing bed provided!

Alison, Richard, Rebecca and Sarah

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W

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Parent voice “The NHS specialists, such as Physiotherapists, Speech & Language therapists and others all exaggerated problems so as to make a point about excessive expense. Equipment was provided that was unnecessary and a lot of items that were, were grossly overpriced. We had equipment provided that we were told was essential and then the therapists argued that they only had to advise on its use and not actually use it! This was called ‘indirect therapy’!!?

“Essentially, it has been the authorities themselves wasting money and resources, whilst blaming Rebecca for it.”

hat do you think has changed in the last W eighteen years in terms of disabled young people accessing mainstream education - do you think things have got better or worse?

“We think that there has been a combination of issues about disabled people in mainstream. The most obvious has been the austerity measures that have come into effect. As usual, the most vulnerable people in society suffer first. It’s easy to pick on those who can’t fight back!

“The next most relevant issue would be the ‘league tables’. If people cannot partake in education in the traditional way, this will have an effect on the educational establishment’s results and status in the rankings, which in turn can affect the funding of the school and also the careers of the staff.

Because of these reasons, there is a reticence for educators to take part in inclusive education.”

ebecca is 18 now, what are her plans when she leaves school next year?

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otherwise that’s the way things are going. She will be there for a couple of years.

“After that, although things are a little hazy, plans are being made for Rebecca to volunteer at the local church centre and school.”

hat advice would you give to other parents W of disabled young people who are starting out on the inclusion journey?

“Don’t give up and believe in their children.

Children constantly surprise and will often surpass all expectations. They just need the opportunity to do so. As a parent, it is your duty to open doors; it’s up to the children to step through.”

ichard you're going to run R the London Marathon.

How's the training going?

How can people sponsor you?

“The training is never as good as you hope, as any athlete at any standard will tell you.

At my age (45), injury is a constant worry, the distances seem longer and the time taken to recover gets longer too. Lots of stretching and cold baths are a big help!

“For sponsorship, I would appreciate it if all monies were directed to the ALLFIE MyDonate page; this will make things easier and more efficient for everyone.” https://mydonate.bt.com/events/allfiemarathon/254954

“Hopefully, Rebecca has a boyfriend that we astly a word or two from Rebecca…. haven’t been told about and they will secretly elope “Rebecca communicates by her own custom and we will receive a postcard from some distant land, telling us how we don’t understand her and signs, so I’m taking the liberty of answering for her.

She likes to go school for the ‘crack’. She does like how she has to make her own way in the world. to learn things, but gossip is her highest priority, “Seriously, Rebecca is transitioning to Bede College which sometimes annoys the teachers. She also in Sunderland. Bede is an enhanced mainstream likes the ‘Gigabyte’, the school café. I’m sure she college for both able and disabled pupils. At the could tell you more, but I’m her dad, so I’m boring.” minute she seems to like it and until she says

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Interview by Tara Flood 4

Policy Inspecting INclusion n late 2015, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED) published a public consultation on inspecting local arrangements for coordinating services for disabled children and young people (including those with SEN). CQC and OFSTED will inspect all local areas over five years.

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The impetus for change comes from the Children and Families Act 2014 which gives local authorities, health commissioners and providers new duties to work with local early years settings, schools and the post-16 further education sector, to identify and meet the needs of disabled children and young people and those with SEN aged 0 to 25. The first joint inspections start in May 2016.

The consultation consisted of four proposals for how CQC/OFSTED will jointly evaluate how well the local area are undertaking their responsibilities to: • identify children and young people with SEND • meet the needs and improve the outcomes of disabled children and young people with SEND • use information sources in contributing towards the identification and meeting of disabled children and young people’s needs with the goal of achieving good outcomes for them.

CQC and OFSTED also asked for feedback on their proposals to consult disabled children and young people.

ALLFIE’s position is that inspections must focus on inclusivity of provision. There was nothing in the proposals we disagreed with, but there were key gaps in the proposed framework. If its stated aim is to inspect the effectiveness of local authorities (LAs) and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in providing services for children & young people with SEND, as outlined in the Children and Families Act, then the starting point for inspections must be the ‘presumption of mainstream education’ principle set out in the Act and its Code of Practice, not to mention the duties statutory agencies have under the Equality Act 2010 and the obligations the Government has under Article 24 of the UNCRPD to work towards fully inclusive education.

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ALLFIE has suggested a number of practical points inspection teams should include: • Performance of local services in achieving positive outcomes for disabled children & young people should be based on inclusivity and how they are supported to participate and be included in local communities.

• Examples of positive outcome measures should include quality of participation in mainstream education, inclusivity of extra-curricular, youth, leisure and community activities, inclusivity of local youth parliament and other young peoples’ mainstream engagement opportunities.

• Local area strategic plans to coordinate and fund services available in mainstream education before disabled children and young people reach transition points (i.e. primary to secondary).

• LA and CCG commissioned services to demonstrate, with practical examples, how they work collaboratively to support disabled children and young people with a range of support needs in mainstream education.

• Education, Health and Care assessment services should focus on the support required for inclusion of disabled children and young people in mainstream education.

• Levels of effective participation of disabled children and young people and, where appropriate, families in mainstream education.

• Special schools and alternative providers to demonstrate, with practical examples, how they work collaboratively with mainstream education providers towards successful reintegration of disabled children and young people into mainstream education and less reliance on segregated education.

• Inspection reports must focus on improvement in inclusive practice in a local area with the aim of reducing the need for segregated provision.

The consultation deadline was 4th January and ALLFIE will be following up on our suggestions with CQC and OFSTED. For ALLFIE’S full consultation response please go to www.allfie.org.uk/docs/ CQC-OFSTED-inspection-response-Dec-2015.doc

Simone Aspis

News Funding Equity in English schools: A major threat to SEND provision n the next five years, school budgets are under unprecedented threat which will impact heavily on the achievement of school students, particularly those with SEND. As 80% of school budgets are spent on staff, the majority of the cuts will be on teaching and support staff.

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The Chancellor, George Osborne, in his Autumn Statement, on 25th November 2015, announced he would protect day to day spending per pupil in cash terms over the next five years. This sounds good, but increasing costs and increasing pupil numbers mean that resources per pupil are likely to fall significantly by 7.5%. This contrasts with the previous five years, under the Coalition government, in which spending rose by 3% and even after increases in pupil numbers ended, spending per pupil was up 0.6% in real terms. (Institute of Fiscal Studies http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/8027) The Chancellor said a new ‘National Funding Formula’ would be introduced from 2017, with consultations due to start in the new year with Education Secretary Nicky Morgan. The new system will include a new “national rate”, but will also feature grants for schools with a high proportion of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. In practice, this is redistributing funding from urban areas such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford, Liverpool and Leeds to rural areas and pockets of poverty in coastal towns. It means 12% or more cuts to school budgets in these areas, devastating SEND provision and creating massive cuts in staffing. Historically urban, predominantly Labour local authorities, have chosen to spend more on funding schools than Tory shire counties.

Past cuts, 1982/1984 of 4% and 1994/ 1996 of 3%, were slowly restored by the New Labour Government 1997-2010. Schools have not faced cuts of this magnitude in the last 70 years.

The introduction of academies which are directly funded by Government has led to a new funding system, a Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG)

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distributed by local authorities in consultation with school forums to maintained schools and via the School Funding Agency to academies based on local authority funding. This has three elements - Early Years Block, Schools Block and the Higher Needs Block. The Schools Block gives per pupil funding; this varies from the historic funding and has been topped up by a Government formula for low spending areas in 2015/2016 and 2016/2017.

The School Block also contains a further notional £6000 per pupil for those with SEND on School Support. The Higher Needs Block provides for SEND expenditure above £10,000 per child and contains a local authority element e.g. for administration and Education Psychologists. Currently there is wide variation in how this is determined and the Government wants to bring this block into the National Funding formula from 2017.

The Higher Needs Block is based on many individual decisions on provision made by local authorities and the tribunal in SEN Statements or Education, Health and Care Plans. How much is spent on sending pupils with SEND to special schools and special schools outside the local authority area depends how good the mainstream schools are at successfully including pupils with high level needs.

Percentage Changes in School Spending and Cost Factors, 2010-11 to 2019-20*

*Increasing costs include larger employer pension contributions for teachers and support staff; increasing National Insurance contribution and rising pupil numbers.

News Selected local authorities from F40 projections of change in funding 2016-2020 Local Authority Hackney Lambeth Tower Hamlets Newham Birmingham Manchester Wakefield Hampshire

Current DSG

Cut

£199m £207m £251m

F40 Proposal £152m £178m £202m

£47m (23.6%) £41m (20.2%) £49m (19.7%)

Reduction Teachers 588 (32%) 542 (26%) 619 (23%)

Reduction Support Staff Teaching Assistants 1176(96%) 1048 (72%) 1238 (63%)

Number of Pupils 29,246 31,894 30,038

£316m £869m £349m £202m £703m

£257m £736m £298m £182m £651m

£58m (18.6%) £133m (15.3%) £51m (14.8%) £20m (9.9%) £52m (7.5%)

734 (24%) 1669 (17%) 645 (17%) 251 (11%) 658 (8%)

1468 (67%) 3338 (54%) 1290 (36%) 503 (40%) 1316 (27%)

51,064 167,623 68,003 44,380 164,982

You can download the full table at: www.allfie.org.uk/docs/School-cuts-2016.xlsx

There is clearly a strong case for increasing funding for the lowest funded authorities, as argued by F40 (the Campaign for Fairer Funding in Education) representing the lowest funded local authorities.

They have been successful in getting top-up funding. However there are major problems in moving to one national funding formula. F40 and the Government argue the ten best funded areas of England receive average School Block funding of £6,300 per pupil this year, compared to an average of £4,200 in the ten worst funded areas. The extra costs of employing teachers in London and the South East results in the payment of the London Allowance - Inner (£5,575), Outer (£4,529) and Fringe (£1,038). This is not currently in the draft proposals. Without this being added to the funding formula this will be either a forced wage cut or job cuts in lieu of no funding for London Allowance.

There is a growing teacher shortage even with the allowance, as housing costs rocket.

new formula, budget cuts and the phasing out of the Education Support Grant, which pays local authorities for advisers and many of their other functions. Academies get a £100,000 payment in lieu of this and therefore by 2017 stand to lose this. This will be in addition to reductions in budget and the formula. So academies are in a worse budgetary position.

So what can be done?

• All school staff, governors, headteachers and parents need to be made aware of this very grave threat to schools and their pupils and build joint campaigns against the cuts.

• Parents of disabled pupils and those with SEN should organise on a school and local authority basis to understand and oppose the additional impact the cuts will have on Higher Needs Funding. Make sure the provision for your child’s SEN is specified and quantified in their Statement or EHC Plan.

The present proposals would mean a massive redistribution away from urban and inner city • All school staff and parents need to write to authorities to the lower funded authorities, based their MPs arguing to maintain existing funding on a single national formula of primary or secondary levels, while bringing low funded areas up to pupils, which will include the Higher Needs Block. similar levels of funding, taking account of extra F40 are putting forward that over a three year costs such as London Allowance, Deprivation period this formula should be introduced and the and Special Educational Needs.

Government seems to agree. The resulting total • The Government said it would consult this amount of reduction has been spelt out.

Spring, but has put this back because of its Wakefield and Hampshire are two of the F40 local fears about the impact on local elections. Write authorities and they too are taking substantial cuts. to Nicky Morgan demanding a full consultation now: ministers@education.gsi.gov.uk Nearly all local authorities are in a reduction situation as a result of the combination of the

Richard Rieser

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Tribute GERV LEYDEN and his contribution to the Inclusive Education Movement: an Appreciation here are some people you don’t forget and Gerv was one of those…

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We run training days all across the UK and often work with educational psychologists. In the course of such a day, we inevitably end up having a conversation with someone who, when hearing we come from Nottingham, asks if we knew - ‘Gerv Leyden’.

Turns out this person did, often decades before. They remember him as their tutor and always have gratitude for his influence on their professional development.

That influence will often have been to do with Gerv’s sensitivity to people’s individual stories, his quiet disdain for the process of ‘testing’ as a way of trying to understand children; often his irreverent sense of humour and lack of preciousness about all things ‘professional’ will be the memory. For these people, and I’m sure we will meet many more of them, it’s clear a little of Gerv went a long way…

Gerv Leyden

But beyond this, the inclusive education movement in the UK has a lot to thank Gerv for. Notably, he was instrumental in bringing the leading players from the North American inclusion movement to teach in the UK. Workshops on person centred planning, led by Marsha Forest and Jack Pearpoint (personal friends of Gerv’s since he turned up one day on their doorstep in Toronto), were held in Nottingham twenty years before the person-centred notion found its way into England’s recent national legislation, and before the word ‘inclusion’ had any common currency.

Gerv’s historical understanding of the field of special education was far greater than ours was. He had a passion for unearthing the detail of UK special needs policy and its actions right back to the 1940s.

He knew where we had come from to be where we are today. He had come from there himself. This long view wasn’t always encouraging to the inclusion movement. But Gerv, whilst often admitting an honest intellectual pessimism about the near future, never lost the will to do more.

He was no naive idealist when judging how hard the task of promoting educational inclusion looked, but these judgements did not dent his vision that better, much better, was possible and needed to be dreamt of.

Gerv’s was a quiet voice for inclusion.

Friend, colleague, and comrade - a life well lived and so remembered…

Derek Wilson and Colin Newton Inclusive Solutions 8

News and events UNCPRD Discussion Day Update Good News!

ALLFIE’s response has been co-signed by the Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance, Equal Lives, DPAC, Inclusion London and the Disability Research Network – see ALLFIE website for full response – we can report that the UNCRPD www.allfie.org.uk. The final General Comment will Committee has published a draft General Comment, based on the Discussion be published later in the spring. This is such good Day, strongly supporting inclusive education and news and a great way to start 2016! calling for an end to segregated education as a necessary requirement for the realisation of Article 24.

urther to our article in Issue 41 F about the UN Discussion Day on Inclusive Education in April last year,

ALLFIE has responded to the document, warmly welcoming the renewed and clear commitment to inclusive education. We have stated that the draft General Comment on the Right to Inclusive Education needs to remain clear and true to the tone and spirit of Article 24, and if it does it will set the trajectory for change firmly in the direction of a strengthened global commitment to inclusive education for ALL learners whatever their learning difference, style or ability.

Survey

e want to know what you think! What kind of articles do you want to see more of in Inclusion Now? Do you look at the ALLFIE website or Facebook page or read the Twitter feed? What improvements could we make? We’ll be sending out a survey shortly, so please look out for it and tell us your views.

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Where Next for Inclusion? From Rhetoric to Rights An event for anyone working to make inclusive education a reality, despite the many challenges.

15 April 2016, UCL Institute of Education, London We will use the event to offer responses to the following claims: • That including disabled children and young people in mainstream schools doesn’t deliver the education they need.

• That having disabled children and young people in mainstream schools has a negative impact on other children and young people.

• That inclusive education is not possible without more money.

• That there is no evidence that inclusion works.

By the end of the conference we will have documented the big areas to be tackled and have the start of an action plan offering solutions.

For more information and to book a place please go to www.wherenextforinclusion.com Organised by ALLFIE, In Control, World of Inclusion and the National Development Team for Inclusion

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25 years of Incl

In November ALLFIE celebrated 25 years of campaigning for inc add their thoughts to an infographic on the history of inclusion

We are In clusion Champs

to keep I want you end fighting to y n! Love to m segregatio rades!

ALLFIE com

Watching “Th e Old School Ties” was a li ghtbulb moment whic h led to Parents for In clusion and ALLFIE becom ing allies.

t a lot n r a le e v I ha t I didn’t today tha ady. e know alr u.

Thank yo

25 years of struggle .

Not anoth er 25 yea rs of more s truggle fo r inclusive education

o There will be n ll our equality until a lay and children can p learn together r matte t ’ n s It doe are, we’re e who w s at hear t nd all frie

ple to o e p o t It is up and create se mobili s in local/ rk . netwo unities m m o c wider

25 years of struggle , comradeship, progre ss.

Forward to inclusion in the next 25

lusive Education

clusive education. At the celebration, participants were asked to over the last 25 years. Here are some of the things they wrote.

No turnin g the clock bac k by 25 years under Tories!!!

tion begins a c u d e e iv Inclus am hing our ex with abolis ed on nonsystem bas s ple’s norm o e p d le b a dis tencies and compe

25 years o n inclusive education is a right and not a s truggle!

g inclusion in in a t in a M ppen with a h ly n o n ca mmitted strong, co leadership

DASL a re l to work ooking forwa rd i and Inc ng with ALLF IE lusion Champ ions

breeds Inclusion inclusion

Allfie.

Happy 25 years sible Inclusion is pos ources with limited res I do believe

Working together Disabled people and allies Iyiola Olafimihan and Cornelia Broesskamp talk about the value of Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) and parents working together.

Iyiola Olafimihan

campaigning for the rights of disabled people reaking the barrier between parents of including the right to inclusive education. disabled children and DPOs is one of the primary outcomes ALLFIE is aiming to • DPOs get to understand parents’ frustrations achieve through the Inclusion Champions about dealing with an oppressive system and project. Historically DPOs have found forging empathise with them. partnerships with parents difficult for a variety of reasons. First and foremost is the fear that • Parents learn that their children can achieve whatever dreams they have and not be limited involving non-disabled parents in DPO activities by the deficit standpoint which the Medical and organisations may lead to control and take Model of Disability imposes on us. over by the parents. Secondly many DPOs have been forced into providing services mainly to • DPOs acquire understanding, skills and knowledge around working with children and disabled adults by commissioners thus many families, putting them in a stronger position don’t have contact with disabled children and to compete with ‘traditional’ providers in their families. developing services to support families and If however we want young disabled people to disabled children and young people that reflect start engaging with DPOs and we understand, as our culture of real person-centredness and disabled people, that there needs to be a generation social and educational inclusion. of young disabled people who will continue the

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Over the year ALLFIE has developed good working partnerships with parents of disabled learners.

Together, but with our leadership, we have been able to campaign for inclusive education in the There are many benefits to developing this mainstream and achieve success at different levels and at various times. There is still a long way partnership: to go, but we want to share this experience with • Parents learn about the Social Model of other DPOs. So as part of the Inclusion Champions Disability and the history of our movement. project, ALLFIE has organised a training programme • As important stakeholders, parents join DPOs in focused on parent/DPO partnership. We have been working with Cornelia Broesskamp to develop and co-deliver this training with me, to a group of DPOs, many of whom have not worked with parents of disabled children/young people before. good fight of campaigning for inclusive education, equality, human rights and social justice, then it is vital to build relationships with parents and recruit them as allies in our work of changing the world.

Iyiola

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The training has been a unique experience and the model of delivery (disabled person and parent) demonstrated partnership working and what is possible if both parties can start learning about each other and understand each other. The feedback we have received at the end of the training has been very positive and the DPOs represented agreed that working with and involving parents is no longer

Working together a choice but a necessity if we are to develop a politically aware and active generation of disabled young people who will be the future leaders in our organisations and society.

From my own personal experience, I wish my parents knew what I know now: they were good parents and parented me within their understanding of parenting, but connecting to a DPO or knowing about rights, social justice and inclusion could have facilitated or even started a movement for inclusion in Nigeria. For example, due to the lack of accessible universities, they encouraged me to study law at a university close to home, rather than my preferred subject, fine art, only available at one further away.

Instead they could have campaigned for accessible facilities at all universities. Such a movement could by now have been close to achieving rights and justice for millions of Nigerians.

Cornelia Broesskamp: a hymn to disabled people and their organisations

Luc and Cornelia

excellent information and received support when asked for around my son’s education.

In fact - I just cannot imagine parenting over the last two decades without disabled friends and allies by my side! What has been so special about this relationship? What has made the difference?

Why would I not have wanted to be without? And why do I recommend to parents working closely with disabled people and their organisations?

I will summarise what disabled people as allies have given and continue to give me, my children and arenting is a tricky business at the best of family to illustrate my five star recommendation: times – finding one’s way through ones’ own wishes and dreams, the child’s needs and • An implicit belief in my disabled child’s value and his right to belong to his local community. Here unique and unpredictable ways of being in the are people who do not patronise my son and who world, society’s demands and expectations of model 100% acceptance to me. parents and children, as well as keeping bread on the table and a roof over the head asks for • I was offered a language to speak about the a clear head, good health (enough sleep!!) bad, the ugly and the painful of oppression and and - good support. Trying to be a good – or at discrimination, and offered extremely useful least good enough - parent for a disabled young concepts which helped to work out solutions to person poses additional challenges, particularly many of the problems we as a family encountered. when disability is not a personal experience.

Yes, I learnt about the medical and social models of disability. And yes, they do help to analyse why There is no question in my mind that my colleagues certain approaches to my son’s support don’t or at Parents for Inclusion and the Alliance for Inclusive do work.

Education have been invaluable in finding my way as a parent over the last 20 years. The support • I have found a wealth of knowhow on making gained from other parents is probably obvious to inclusive education and an ordinary life real most people, the support gained from collaboration ideas, strategies, examples, details to consider. with disabled people and one of their organisations Plus the ever important information on rights, less so. legal frameworks and how to argue and work with those to make sure my child’s rights are I have been very lucky over the last almost two respected and realised. decades to meet, listen to and learn from many

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disabled trainers and campaigners; I have also • Understanding advocating for my son’s rights as been listened to, helped to find solutions, given part of a bigger picture of the struggle of disabled

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Working together people for equal rights helped enormously to keep a perspective on our individual situation, particularly when advocating turned into a struggle with the local authority. It doesn’t take long before one finds oneself in the corner of ‘demanding and difficult parent’. And the situation gets very scary indeed when people who do not know your child and do not share your values threaten to use their power to make decisions over your child, decisions that you do not at all agree with.

• I found a vision, a north star to work towards: the vision of an inclusive society is a BIG and far reaching vision which looks beyond disability. I have found it very exciting to become part of a bigger movement - thinking and working out how this vision could be realised.

• With acceptance, concepts and vision in place as the foundations I could grasp what person centred planning truly is about and begin to actively facilitate such processes with my son. I also learnt to appreciate the innovation of Direct Payments as a way to strengthen a disabled person’s self-determination.

• And I have been filled with hope by knowing that DPOs exist and disabled people use political power and influence to claim their rights – and implicitly represent my son too.

• And I gained a new role: an ally. An ally to my son and to disabled people and their movement for equal rights and self-determination.

Here is an open invitation to all: becoming an ally to disabled people is not a privilege of a parent at all!

The Sting My sister and brother were told I don’t exist.

I am in that locked up cupboard the flesh slowly eaten off the bones.

Their buried questions taped up enquiry.

I met them but I still don’t exist their shame is carried into their empty night I came from that encounter without my severed limb its phantom still hurts.

I go to see them in my dreams as a swarm of bees stinging them awake stinging you all awake plaguing until you tear your body apart.

I am a swarm of bees sweet with honey

If I was to sum up what my son gained and how his education benefited from my connection with ALLFIE I would say this:

I can kill or sustain

• Access to a ‘broad and balanced’ curriculum (it actually was)

To destroy me, is to destroy life.

Such is my power

• Enjoyment of learning of subjects of his choice • An unquestioned right to be part of ordinary life • A gut understanding of situations which work and which do not work for him, what is the right support • He gives the direction of where his life is going • Friends and community.

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Maresa McKeith Maresa is a writer, educator and observer whose collection of poetry, essays and occasional writing Taking The Time has been published by Inclusive Solutions.

Book review Book review

work and produce profits in the factories and mills.

The Factory Acts and Poor Laws introduced segregation for disabled people from society: “The 18th and 19th centuries ny book that includes saw the development of a quote from a Clash new institutions such as song gets my approval! The workhouses and special Roddy Slorach author sets the context for schools”. the book in Chapter 2 and In the following chapters, Slorach examines the rise describes the situation for of eugenics and the Nazi genocide. The eugenics disability under the recent debate does not divide along traditional left/right Coalition Government as lines. Many eugenicists came from the liberal and “free market human rights” socialist left traditions. This should be no surprise (a term coined by Marta to campaigners against assisted dying today but it Russell). Their misappropriation of the term is useful to understand the roots of this in order to “nothing about us, without us” to frame and fight it. justify the cuts and privatisation of the NHS is truly ‘turning rebellion into money’ (White Man The second half of the book examines the rise of the disability movement and contemporary in Hammersmith Palais by the Clash). issues. This is the weaker part of the book as the This book is a very honest account of disability from analysis of the history of the disability movement a Marxist perspective. This shouldn’t put anybody and current struggles is not as well researched off reading it as Roddy Slorach provides an objective and evidenced as what has gone before. The critique of a variety of views on disability. Chapter 3: global disability movement has transformed the The Social Model and its Critics exemplifies this. The world for disabled people, yet this occupies less book builds on previous accounts of the history of than 30 pages of the 275. Having said that, for disability but goes into much greater depth on how those new to disability politics this is a reasonable it emerged as a condition with the rise of capitalism. summary of our history. Inclusion and segregation Slorach challenges the myth that discrimination in education is contained in chapter 12 entitled based on impairment is a ‘permanent feature of Some Controversies. The section on Education and human society’. He argues that discrimination did Special Needs fails to mention the UN Convention not exist before the emergence of class society and or Article 24 on inclusive education. This is driving very likely before the rise of capitalist society. This positive changes for disabled children globally reviewer’s historical knowledge cannot confirm or (although ironically not in the UK) so it seems a challenge this view but the analysis provides food strange omission. for thought.

The conclusion of the book poses the age old Slorach argues that the rise of disability (Chapter question ‘reform or revolution’. I am not sure this 6), as a specific form of discrimination as we know dichotomy is helpful to new or older generations it today, has its roots in the agrarian and industrial of disability activists and allies. However, the book revolutions. The displacement of rural communities does enrich our understanding of disability and for from villages to towns following enclosures and that I recommend it. the development of industrial production created impairment and disease which became disability Mark Harrison, CEO, Equal Lives through the exclusion of people who could not

A Very Capitalist Condition: A history and politics of disability Roddy Slorach Bookmarks Publications ISBN : 9781910885017

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International issues Leave No One Behind - Sustainable Development, DfID and Inclusion eptember 2015 saw the culmination of a huge S international consultation followed by great diplomatic efforts on the future of our planet

and the people who live on it. The result is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unlike their predecessors the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which did not mention disability, there are 11 mentions of disability in the SDGs. The MDGs did lead, until the world economic crisis in 2008/09, to big increases in numbers of children attending school, reductions in absolute poverty and deaths of women in childbirth, but lacked a focus on people with disabilities now generally agreed to comprise 15% of the world’s population and growing.

MDG 2 stated that all children should successfully complete primary education. In the 25 years from 1990, when the MDGs were first adopted, to 2015, the number of out of school children was reduced from 140 million to 54 million. In many countries the disproportionate number of girls out of school was reduced, though in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Bangladesh among others the proportion of girls not in education remains massively unequal.

As the numbers out of school decreased the proportion of children out of school who had disabilities increased. The main negative social and economic factors involved are cultural prejudices, perceptions that devalue, lack of training of teachers in inclusion, lack of specific support, failure to create accessible schools, curricula and classrooms or failure to build welcoming positive peer support. These factors continue to make it much harder for children with disabilities to be enrolled in school but also more importantly to remain there. There are many millions of young people with disabilities who have dropped out of schooling. A recent study by Plan International of 1.4 million, across 30 countries, found in low and middle income countries children with disabilities are ten times less likely to attend school than their non-disabled peers and are more likely to drop out than any other group .

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The new SDG on Education Goal 4 is ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’. Will this change the previous failures? Wording changes need to be part of a full global implementation strategy. However, at least the words are there.

4.5 “By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations”. And 4.a ”Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.” “in low and middle income countries children with disabilities are ten times less likely to attend school than their non-disabled peers” The UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) is the largest bilateral donor to basic education, providing over £400 million in 2011 and is also the largest contributor to the Global Partnership For Education (GPE) giving £357 million between 2010 and 2015. In 2014 DFID published its Disability Framework. On 3rd December 2015 DFID held a multi-stakeholder seminar on disability-inclusive development and then launched DFID’s Disability Framework 2015.

The Government in strong contrast to their ‘lukewarm’ view of inclusive education in England, commits to the following in its international development policy.

“Education. We will build on progress we have already made on inclusive education by: • Continuing to ensure that all school building directly funded by DFID adheres to our policy on accessible school construction, • Working closely with the Global Partnership for Education to ensure they include a specific

International issues strategy for children with disabilities as criteria problems. But a more serious point is that DFID for assessing Education Sector Plans and data have chosen that their partners on developing their on disability in their reporting, framework are to be NGOs not DPOs which are run • Collating and disseminating lessons learnt from and controlled by disabled people. Although the our disability-focussed education programmes International Disability Alliance was present at the day, this does not make up for failing to develop such as Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Tanzania.” strong links with DPOs in low and middle income The launch was addressed by Justin Greening, countries. Nor does it bridge the clear choice made Secretary of State, and Baroness Verma, Minister, by DFID to not engage on a regular basis with UK putting forward a strong message of inclusive Disabled People’s Organisations, as required by disability development policy. the UNCRPD. The seminar was addressed by speakers from “the effect of the economic downturn the UN, Unicef, the World Bank, the International has been that most countries are not Disability Alliance and various European honouring the commitments that they Development Ministries, and examples were have made to fund inclusive education given of good practice in involving disabled development” people’s organisations, from various NGOs that work closely with DFID through the Bond Group.

Speakers from Bond, Leonard Cheshire Disability, We heard from Jazz Shaban about Handicap Handicap International and Action on Disability International’s 24 inclusive education programmes and Development presented a strong picture of currently running worldwide. In Kara in northern Togo change slowly coming about following on from the one of the approaches used to facilitate inclusive adoption, ten years ago, of the UN Convention on education was to introduce ‘itinerant teachers’. The the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. But there project provided mobile, itinerant teachers trained was acknowledgment that the biggest issue facing in disability-specific teaching skills. The teachers us is how such good practice can be incorporated visit different schools and work with specific and sustained to move from NGO initiated small students while simultaneously providing ongoing scale projects to country-wide scale. support and advice to mainstream teachers. HI and This all sounds encouraging until it is recognised the Regional Directorate of Education (DRE) in Togo that the effect of the economic downturn has jointly run the scheme. HI have also been involved been that most countries are not honouring the in national advocacy and teacher training and are commitments that they have made to fund inclusive currently rolling out inclusive education modules education development. This said, these UK and in six teacher training institutes. The impact of this international commitments will make it easier to project has been to embed inclusive education implement inclusive education in low and middle in the Education Sector Plan (2014-2016). The Ministry of Education has validated HI’s Braille, income countries. sign language and inclusive education manuals for use nationwide. “the biggest issue facing us is how... good practice can be incorporated and sustained to move from NGO initiated small scale projects to country-wide scale.”

The Sustainable Development Goals and the DFID Framework do suggest a new preparedness to take forward disability inclusion. However, whether they succeed will depend on political will, economic circumstances and a systematic preparedness by One concern was the lack of representation of DPOs state parties to address the many barriers that have from low and middle income countries. Apparently historically prevented the full inclusion of disabled a DPO rep from Uganda had not been allowed children and students in education. to travel to the UK for the event because of visa

Richard Rieser

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Legal Question “My teenage child has recently been permanently excluded from school on the grounds of his behaviour whilst on the waiting list for an Education Health and Care Plan assessment and a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) appointment. He was getting some help from the school’s mentoring programme but that has stopped because he is no longer in school. Have the school acted unlawfully and should they have done more to support my child to remain in school?”

There are a number of issues we must look at when considering whether or not the school has acted unlawfully and if they should have done more, which I have set out below.

The reason for the exclusion could be unlawful if the school has discriminated against the child in excluding them, for example because of a disability, race, or because of their religion.

Exclusion Procedure

If you think your child has been discriminated against in being excluded from school you should seek legal advice on bringing a discrimination claim.

For a permanent exclusion to be lawful the school must, without delay, notify the parent of it in writing. This should set out that the child has been permanently excluded, the reason for the exclusion and what steps they can take if they do not agree with the decision. The same notification should be sent when a child is given a fixed-term exclusion and it should state how many days the child is excluded for.

If the school does not provide the above written notification to the parent, then the exclusion will be classed as unlawful as the school must follow that formal procedure for an exclusion to be lawful.

Therefore if a parent is told that they cannot send their child to the school at all or for only part of the school day, without this formal notification the exclusion will be unlawful.

Education, Health and Care Assessment Parents, schools, and young people can ask the local authority in writing to carry out an Education, Health and Care Assessment.

The local authority has a duty to consider this request and confirm in writing within 6 weeks of the date they receive the request whether or not they are going to carry out the assessment.

If they decide to carry out the assessment and decide not to issue an EHCP, they must confirm this decision in writing within 16 weeks of the date the request was received. If they decide to issue an EHCP they must do this within 20 weeks of the date the request was received.

If you think your child has been unlawfully excluded, If the local authority does not stick to these you should seek legal advice immediately. timeframes and uses a waiting list, they will be Reason for the Exclusion acting unlawfully and legal advice should be Schools should only exclude a child permanently obtained. or for a fixed term in accordance with the school’s Current Education behaviour policy. As far as possible, schools should not permanently exclude pupils with a Statement From the sixth day following a permanent exclusion, of SEN or Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) if the child is of compulsory school age, the local or Looked After Children, and should do more to try authority must provide suitable full time education. and avoid it. However, schools are not prevented If the child is not receiving this we recommend you from excluding these children or children who are seek legal advice immediately. going through the EHCP process or waiting for a CAMHS appointment.

Samantha Hale

Samantha is a solicitor with Maxwell Gillott, specialising in education, community care and public law. Maxwell Gillott specialise in legal advice and assistance for clients facing difficulties with education, health and social services. www.maxwellgillott.co.uk

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This magazine is published by: The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE)

A national campaigning organisation led by disabled people. ALLFIE works to change laws, practices and procedures which discriminate against disabled young people and prevent inclusion. ALLFIE works together with allies to build a social climate in which everyone has a valued place.

336 Brixton Road, London SW9 7AA Tel: 020 7737 6030 Email: info@allfie.org.uk Website: www.allfie.org.uk

In collaboration with: Inclusive Solutions

A team of psychologists and associates who specialise in cutting edge practical strategies and ideas for developing effective inclusion in local mainstream schools and communities. We work with anyone who wants to bring about the real systems changes that are necessary to move towards a truly inclusive society.

Tel: 0115 9556045 or 01473 437590 Email: inclusive.solutions@me.com Website: inclusive-solutions.com

World of Inclusion

A consultancy that provides advice, resources and training in the UK and around the world to develop equality for disabled people especially in education. Richard Rieser is an expert disabled international equality trainer, consultant, film maker and writer and teacher.

Basement, 78 Mildmay Grove South, London N1 4PJ Tel: 020 7359 2855 or 07715 420727 Email: richardrieser@ worldofinclusion.com Website: worldofinclusion.com

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Disabled people, parents and allies, working together to educate, facilitate and empower everyone who wants to be part of the growing inclusion movement. Together we want to bring down the barriers so all young people can learn, make friends and have a voice in ordinary school and throughout life. For each and every young person, this is an essential human right.

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