Parents have expressed their upset and anger at plans to remove the primary education provision at Island Learning Centre in Newport for students aged 5 to 10.
A consultation has been launched by the Isle of Wight Council with a view to increasing the minimum age of children at the Albany Road site from 5-years-old, to 11-years-old.
In a document seen by Island Echo, it is detailed that around 20 children will no longer be able to be taught at the specialist school from September this year, instead returning to mainstream education whilst receiving support from the Hampshire Primary Behaviour Service.
However, anxious parents say that special education needs (SEN) schools on the Island are already full.
1 parent has said:
“It’s the only provision of its kind for SEN children on the Island. There’s no alternative provision going to be put in its place other than extra help in a mainstream school”.
According to the consultation document, the new Primary Behaviour Service would provide both outreach and inreach support for primary pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs which manifest themselves in challenging or unproductive behaviour. The service would cater for primary-aged children who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion, therefore negating the need to retain primary provision at Island Learning Centre.
The Island Learning Centre, which was previously based in Lake before the school was burnt down in 2015, works with students who have complex social and emotional needs, as well as those who are medically unwell and those who have been expelled from their previous schools. It is known as Pupil Referral Unit.
Concerned parents will be meeting with school officials on Monday (23rd January) to discuss the proposals, with the consultation period lasting a total of 6 weeks.
Sounds like a cost cutting exercise pure and simple. Exclusion from the mainstream costs more money. But in all truth kids with behaviour problems do need space.
I beg to differ.
Many of these behaviour issue children are never going to amount to anything, and so why should we pay their parents a fortune in benefits because they have a joey who is disruptive and ruins life for normal children and they get US to pay again to provided a special school as well for these nere do wells?
The parents should get zero extra for burdening, albeit in most cases through no fault of their own, society with a problem child, which will soon become a problem teen and then a drain on society for the rest of its life.
These children should be given a basic education just enough to sign their name for benefits and IF their parents feel they need more, get them to fund it from benefits or hard work.
Alan some parents of mentally disturbed children can be to blame.
For a large amount of children born toady from estates have one or both parents taking drugs, over indulging in alcohol and as such, the sperm or more oft the egg is damaged by such.
Years back abortion would have been a likely choice, limiting the amount of disturbed children inflicted upon society. But as you rightly say, the benefits now make the ‘keeping’ of such more tempting, especially so when they can for a large part of the day be ‘dumped’ onto the special schools to ‘look after’ or have care workers take them out to give those who created them a ‘break’.
So parents of such now are better off keeping but ‘fobbing’ it off onto others to look after
The amount of uneducated and quite frankly highly offensive comments here is mind blowing. I find it disgusting that there are still people out there who have the view that children and young people with additional needs – whether they be behaviour based or not shouldn’t be here and aren’t worth any time, support or education and are almost described as lesser beings due to that. You do not know any of these children or families personally and have no idea of their individual situations or their achievements.
ALL children in this country are entitled to an education regardless of their heritage or personal circumstances – no social class is immune from having individuals with additional needs within them
I think people understandably feel is that so much money now is spent on adult social care, and homes of multiple occupancy, places like the Foyer in Ryde, yet a huge percentage of those people given refuge are troublesome, violent, steal, abusive, and anti social to other people.
These people were children once, and so much sympathy is lost now on those children who are more than likely to be one of these costly unpleasant people in a few short years.
Also the amount of money given to parents of such is more than that given to normal kids, which seems wrong as they have burdened us forever with a costly millstone so WHY give even more to something which will only ever take from society.
Mention these comments at the meeting
I really do think you should think before you type! Why should you be stereotyping when you quite obviously do not know any parent or child from the school. It’s people like you that make me so mad and wonder what life my son will have when he is being constantly belittled because of things like this being said.
People who are most unfortunate in having a disturbed child but then ‘expect’ the whole of society to then fawn over it, and fund it’s costly, and for the most part, pointless attempt to educate it make me mad too.
The main reason mainstream schools ‘welcome’ in such disruptive, embarrassing children into their schools is NOT because they want the class disrupted, or to have to pay extra staff to deal with some shouting disturbed joey, BUT because they get EXTRA FUNDING for taking in such into their schools.
You cannot blame others for your son being belittled, none of us have achieved great things, otherwise we wouldn’t be wasting life on here. But we don’t blame others for failings in life OR get others to fund our lives.
Well.done, play into everyone’s hands
Monday 23rd January.
LA officers will be on site between 12.30pm and 3.30pm and have divided up the time to speak with the different groups. These are:
You can also make comment, show support or opposition to the proposal by contacting Jade Kennett, Strategic Development, County Hall, Newport, by either
Telephone: 01983 821000, e-mail: [email protected].
This is bullshit my son will lose his confidence again this school hes settled an learning and the school system is gonna fail him yet again.he will not cope in main stream school so basicly thy are deprivin my son of edcuation.
Are you certain that his lack of education is not more genetic based?
Scarce cash in the economy ought to be utilised to fund those children who will be an asset to the country, not a perpetual drain on resources for their entire lives.
With a parent usually in receipt of large amounts of benefits for these children they perhaps could be educated at home, thus not being a massive cost to society and a disruption to other children who do have a need to learn.
As stated for the majority that education need only be limited to their likely attainment level in later years.
Too much is wasted on those who will never contribute and will go from needy children to dependant youths and adult care for their entire lives.
We have had to cut back I suggest they need to too.