Rising to the challenge

I am slowly becoming competent

In challenging governmental and

Educational decisions not to assist

The many young people who are

Continually being let down by the

Educational system within this country

It is a shame that on an individual case

It boils down to the mere point of cash

Many schools now have in place a point

Scale that is based upon getting the young

Person out of the education system before

The school is forced to recognise the need

Of that person and then having to pay for

Any additional support needed. In this respect

Schools now have a limit of days exclusions

Before the young person becomes permanently

Excluded based upon the accumulated number

Of days that they have had. It is apparent that

Many parents are now falling foul of this system.

The other one now is that headmasters within

An educational area are sharing information

In relation to students that they regard as being

Difficult. And those opted out schools are choosing

Not to admit students who have experienced

Difficulties within other areas of the same

County or others near by. The system has changed

And it is now down to the parents to become

Informed of the necessary procedures and

Monitor these prior to their children being

Permanently excluded. I have run courses for

Students excluded from mainstream school

and also worked with those in alternative

educational establishments as well as working

within therapeutic environments to address

social and educational difficulties. I am gradually

becoming more and more critical of what it is

that main stream schools are now doing with

their students who present any form of behavioural

difficulties. The things that schools now base

their decisions on are, family history, previous

difficulties within other schools, including primary

involvement with other governmental agencies

police, social services, youth services etc. The

system is now such that once a child has been

labelled by a school as having difficulties it is only

a matter of time before that student shall be

excluded form the school. Those who are now

holding themselves up as inclusion officers and

the such like are making the lives of many children

both unsuccessful and unproductive within

mainstream schools. What a bloody waste