Inclusion Now 46 by ALLFIE

Spring 2017 Issue 46

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A voice for the Inclusion Movement in the UK

Contents Editorial 2

Editorial

Residential Special Schools Independent review

Journey to Activism Interview with Shaun Webster

The GLA and Inclusion The Deputy Mayor answers ALLFIE’s questions

What Makes a Good School? A parent governor’s view

Perceptions of Inclusion Research report

Mother and Daughter Interview with Carly and Honey Jones

IQ Tests - a critique

Quiet Riot Report of the Freedom Fighters Festival

Legal Question The 11 Plus exam

Inclusive education is certainly a hot topic at the moment. The front cover of this issue shows some of the several hundred photos we received in response to our campaign against proposals to increase the number of grammar schools. And as we write, the government has launched a review into residential special schools, on the basis of a report by the Council for Disabled Children which expressed considerable concern about these institutions. We need your help to respond to the review, so please talk to us/email us/write to us if you have experience of residential special school or college see the page opposite. Our legal question also addresses the legality of selective education as so many of us have been wondering how grammar schools can possibly not be classed as discriminatory. And other articles illuminate some of the background to these public debates. Both Shaun Webster and Colin Newton talk about how segregation and stereotyping of disabled children can lead to low expectations and unmet potential. Colin explains how IQ testing fails to capture potential and favours those who are already doing well in life, and Shaun’s story illustrates this from a personal perspective. Yet he has learned to overcome these low expectations and make up lost ground. We also have a really interesting article from researchers at Edge Hill University, exploring how inclusion is perceived, and how we can know whether it has taken place - you can read more about this and comment on the article on our blog at www.allfie.org.uk/blog We hope you enjoy this edition of Inclusion Now, and please let us know if you have any comments.

Jess Cahill Front cover: a selection of photos from our campaign against selective education

Inclusion Now occasionally includes adverts for products, services, courses or events offered by other organisations. This does not imply that we endorse or support the products, services, courses, events or organisations concerned. Readers are advised to check details for themselves and make their own judgements. Inclusion Now provides an opportunity for the exchange of information. All the views expressed are not necessarily the views of ALLFIE, Inclusive Solutions or World of Inclusion. We reserve the right to edit articles. Contact ALLFIE for advertising rates and policy. Inclusion Now is also available in audio or text format via email - see subscription form on page 19. You can also search past issues and view past issues as page-turning pdfs online at www.allfie.org.uk

[Title goes here]

News

Residential special school review

he Government has announced an independent review of residential school provision shortly after the Department of Health’s publication of Christine Lenehan’s “These are Our Children” – a damning report of the placement of disabled young people with complex needs within assessment and treatment units and psychiatric inpatient hospital care settings.

the next generation of disabled people. It fails to ask the fundamental question: do we need these residential special schools and colleges if there is availability of great local inclusive education provision? The question would recognise that separation of disabled children and young people from their families and communities is often a traumatic experience, and can be a lonely path Evidence revealed that 21% of disabled young to lifelong institutional care and warehousing people aged 18-21 years old in NHS mental of disabled adults. If we want to stop disabled health inpatient care have transferred directly people entering mental health in-patient care or from previous residential placements, including assessment and treatment units we need to close residential special school settings. Residential down institutionalised provision. special school and college placements were not left We must clearly tell the review that we need a unscathed by the report, which raised their lack of programme of closure of segregated education expertise and inadequacy of provision to meet the provision. We can be sure that if residential special needs of their disabled children and young people. school and college survivors and their allies do The report dispelled the myth that residential school not speak up the Government will have the green was a parental choice. Lenehan found placement light to not only continue funding but also expand residential special school and college provision. was one means of diverting a crisis as a result of the local authority’s failure to provide early years intervention, SEN provision and out of hours support facilitating the child’s rights to family life and local mainstream education.

The review of residential special schools and colleges closes 17th March - please tell us your stories.

What do we need from you?

We need your stories – we need to tell the Department for Education about the long term negative impact residential schools have in promoting disabled people’s civil In light of the criticism, the Department for and human right to full participation in society. We Education has commissioned Lenehan to conduct are focusing on the following sections of the review: an independent review of residential special • How and why children and young people end up schools. It will focus on the role and quality of in residential special schools and colleges residential special school and college provision • The experiences and outcomes of these covering: children and young people and their families, and how these can be improved • How and why such children come to be placed in residential school settings • Destinations for the children and young people • Patterns of commissioned provision of We are providing additional guidance on how to residential special school placements complete the review questions so that members • What good support looks like before, during and and supporters are able to respond in their own after placement words whilst letting the Department for Education • Outcomes and destinations of these young know that the only way forward is to close residential disabled people special school provision down. Our full briefing is So the remit assumes that residential special on the ALLFIE website: www.allfie.org.uk/docs/ schools continue to be part of the solution rather briefings/ALLFIE-Briefing-no.53-Jan-2017.docx than a barrier to preventing institutionalisation of Please contact ALLFIE if you need a paper copy.

Simone Aspis

Features the journey to activism

“W

hat happened at school made me angry why I had to go somewhere different from everyone but through my campaigning work ... I’ve else.” learnt to use my anger for turning bad into good.” “What started you wondering about that?” Mike Lambert interviews disability campaigner, “The special school was on the other side of Shaun Webster MBE, about his time at school and Rotherham. I had to go by a special coach that his views on inclusive education. picked me up. I remember, we had to drive past These days Shaun Webster is an internationally this other, big school and all the kids would take the micky out of us on the recognised campaigner for coach. They’d call us horrible the rights of people with names, like “retard”, “basket” learning disabilities. His and “thicko”. I was angry and work for Leeds-based human I decided to teach myself the rights organisation, Change, regular bus route to school. But has focused on employment, the first time I went to school independent living and selfon my own, I got in trouble for advocacy. He’s also worked doing it.” with Lumos (a European children’s’ charity founded We both laugh. by JK Rowling) to campaign “What subjects did you do at for the closure of long-stay school?” I ask. institutions and aid the reintegration of young people We did history, maths, English, with learning disabilities into cooking and woodwork. I was their communities. In 2015, good at history and maths. Shaun received an MBE for They never taught us any his services to people with science, and I would have liked learning disabilities and their a turn at that. I didn’t get on families. with English. I couldn’t read or write properly and I felt very But, as Shaun starts describing isolated in English. Two weeks his early schooling, I soon before I left school, when I was realise that his successes 16, they said they’d found out I haven’t come without a was dyslexic.” struggle. “I was sent to special school when I was seven”, he “So you never received any specialist dyslexia explains. “Before that I attended my regular, local support?” primary school. They told my mum, I wasn’t keeping “No. Then, I went to college for two years, and I up and I was struggling. And I stayed in that same didn’t get any dyslexia help there either.” special school till I was 16.” “Looking back, do you think there were other “How did you feel about that?” I ask. important things you didn’t receive at school?” “I didn’t understand why I had to move. I was “There were no lessons about life skills, living scared and really upset, because I was losing all independently or anything like that. The only thing my friends. But, at the time, I just had to go with it. we did was cooking. I know people need to cook, Later, maybe in my early teens, I began wondering but I would like to have been taught how to look

Features after myself.” “What are you thinking of?” “I’m thinking of things like opening a bank account, paying rent, budgeting my money, transport issues and having a job. None of that happened. And there was no careers advice, like in other schools. They had sex education, but it was a joke. They didn’t expect people like us to have sex or relationships. They never thought we could have different sexuality, like gay, lesbian or straight. So, there was no proper explanation about that or about condoms.”

and they encouraged me to push myself. When I first tried writing emails, I felt very scared and thought, there’s no way I’m doing this. But Change made me think I could do it. At first, someone would check every email before I sent it but, these days, I mostly don’t bother. I also now have some speech software from Access to Work that helps with my dyslexia.” “So it was Change who provided the support you should have received at school?” “Yes. What happened at school made me angry but, through my campaigning work at Change, I’ve learnt to use my anger for turning bad into good.”

“It sounds like there was a whole bunch of things they never expected you to do - like travel independently, live independently, have a job, have “Where did you acquire the life skills that have a relationship, become a parent and a grandparent enabled you to live by yourself?” - all of which you’ve done.” “Mostly through an organisation called KeyRing. “That’s right.” They met with me, identified my weaknesses and “Following school, you went to college for two years. helped me, step by step, with things I couldn’t do. The way KeyRing works, they give a lot of support How was that?” at first but, in the long-run, they want you to live “I liked the woodwork but, really, it was about as big independently, as part of the community.” a waste of time as school. At the time, my dream was to mix with other people without learning “Finally, what advice would you give to parents disabilities. I thought, maybe if I had the right wondering how to educate a child with a learning support, I could join in some mainstream classes. disability?” But I never got the chance and, because students “Parents need to find out which local schools with learning disabilities worked in a separate unit, provide one-to-one support and promote inclusive I felt very isolated.” education. Don’t think about special schools. Look “Did you finish education with any qualifications?” at other options, where the child will receive a proper education and won’t be isolated. And above “No. No qualifications and I couldn’t read or write. all, never give up.” For a long time, I was very angry and bitter about Mike Lambert, ALLFIE trustee that.” “Have you been able to make any progress with reading and writing since leaving college?” “Yes. In my work now, I write emails and use Twitter.” “How did that happen?” “It didn’t happen until my early thirties, when I started working at Change. Before that, I’d given up all hope and thought I’d never read or write. To begin with, I was quite shy and scared of the office work. But they gave me one-to-one help when I needed it, always on my own terms, and I never felt judged by anyone. I started doing little tasks, step by step, and over time I became more confident

Policy The GLA and disabled londoners Joanne McCartney, Deputy Mayor for Education, answers Allfie’s questions • Can you explain what powers the Mayor has over education in London?

stated his commitment to inclusive education as part of his mayoral campaign)

Local Authorities have worked extremely successfully over the last few years to increase school provision, particularly primary schools. The school population is now moving through to secondary and the Mayor’s immediate priority is to ensure there is sufficient secondary provision. The Mayor will work with a range of partners to ensure we have enough schools in London. We will work • What do you think are the challenges and with Teaching Schools and other networks and opportunities ahead for education in London forums to disseminate good practice; this will be and in particular disabled children and young inclusive of disabled children and young people people with SEN? with special educational needs. Whilst London schools remain the best performing • What is the Mayor’s plan to ensure in the country with the gaps between disadvantaged that apprenticeships under his remit or children and their peers narrowing faster than responsibility are inclusive of young disabled anywhere else, there are still groups of children Londoners? (Sadiq stated his commitment to that academically perform worse than their peers. inclusive apprenticeships as part of his mayoral This starts from when children begin school and campaign) widens as they move through the school system. We recognise that pupils with special educational Ensuring that learners with disabilities get the needs and disabilities, or those with an education, support they need to access training opportunities health and care plan are one of the groups that is key to the Mayor’s aspiration to be a Mayor perform significantly worse than their peers and for all Londoners. The Mayor made a specific have higher rates of exclusions. We need to ensure commitment in his manifesto to protect and that schools have access to specialist provision support the development of schemes which and support for these groups. The proposed expand opportunities for people with disabilities government national funding formula will mean that to work and gain skills. City Hall is realising this London schools will lose out and this will impact on commitment through a programme of activity those with additional support needs the most. City funded by European Structural and Investment Hall is submitting a response to the government Funds targeting people with health conditions and consultation on the national funding formula in disabilities. which we will refer to its impact on disadvantaged The London Assembly Economy Committee groups, including children with disabilities. (which I am a member of) recently published • We know that it is your aim to ensure that a report ‘Apprenticeships: An un-level playing there is a ‘good school place for every child in field’ which highlighted that, despite a small London’, please tell us what plans you have increase in Londoners with a learning difficulty to encourage those good school places to be or physical disability accessing apprenticeship inclusive of disabled children and young people opportunities over recent years, progress in making with special educational needs (SEN)? (Sadiq apprenticeships a genuine route in to work for Whilst the Mayor has no statutory powers in education, we are working closely with London Boroughs, schools, the London Economic Action Partnership, employers, London’s wealth of voluntary and community organisations (such as ALLFIE) and young people themselves to act as a catalyst for change.

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Opinion

people with disabilities has also been too slow. We have made a number of recommendations on how the Mayor can support accessibility and diversity of apprenticeships during his mayoral term. We encourage applications from disabled candidates and operate a guaranteed interview scheme for those disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria. We also monitor our recruitment process at each stage of our annual apprenticeship campaign. There has been an increase in the percentage of candidates with a disability applying for an apprenticeship and successfully starting an apprenticeship in the last few years.

What makes a good school?

s we see our world becoming more divided and people segregated, the need for tolerant, diverse and inclusive schools is greater than ever. Yet you may, like me, be wondering if there are any truly inclusive schools out there – willing and able to provide a meaningful education for all?

As a parent of three children, one of whom is • The Goverment’s Autumn Statement announced disabled, as a school governor and as an education the devolution of some FE education and Adult advocate, I wear a number of hats giving me more skills funding to the GLA – please tell how you than my fair share of school experiences – both think this could be used to encourage FE and good and not so good… Adults Skills providers to be more inclusive of I have gleaned a few things along the way which disabled learners? I hope might be useful to you whether you are a The GLA is presently working through the readiness parent, an ally, or a practitioner which I am going to conditions for the devolution of adult skills funding explore here; which is expected to take place in 2019/20. Skills What is a good school? devolution forms just a part of the Government’s wider Growth Deal agenda. London has just I have often been asked the question in relation to completed the Skills Area Review process in my children’s school: ‘Is it a good school?’ advance of devolution, and the GLA will now be My response has always been ‘It depends on what working with partners to conduct a pan London you think is a good school.’ review of SEND education provision. “If ‘good’ means the top academic results then it • Do you share the Mayor’s commitment to working with voluntary sector organisations and if you do how might you work with the Alliance for Inclusive Education? The Mayor has made it clear that supporting Deaf and Disabled Londoners to access services and opportunities in the capital is a priority. He has committed to being an advocate for Disabled people living in London and I’m pleased to say his team recently met with a group of the capital’s Disabled People’s organisations. We’re setting up a new disability stakeholder group and look forward to working together with voluntary sector organisations including the Alliance for Inclusive Education to positively progress inclusive services and opportunities for Disabled Londoners and visitors to the capital.

Opinion isn’t, but if by ‘good’ you are looking for a school that will try its best to educate well and meet the needs of a diverse group of children – then it is a good school.” I believe a good school is an inclusive school – one that welcomes all children, values each and every one of them as individuals and also enables them to be part of a supportive community. Some hallmarks of a good school are: a diverse intake, tolerant values, robust equality policies and evidence they work hard never to exclude any child. It is a school that wants to work with you as a parent or practitioner and values your partnership. A school that makes sure students have a meaningful voice in the school. Most of all it is a school where my children and all children can be happy and achieve in the way they want.

I would also advise that you become an ally to your child and realise that you know them best; you are the expert in them! Remember too that the school needs to work with you in a child-centred way – the law requires it and you can remind the school of your expertise, offer your support and of course promote your child. Indeed schools generally want to work with parents, Ofsted requires them to and where schools involve parents well the children do better and are happier.

Also be very clear that as a parent of a child that has been labelled, you have been oppressed and isolated – by the prejudice which says your child is the problem. My advice would be to reject this assumption and remember it is the barriers that prevent your child from being included that are the problems – it maybe the environment, or it may be attitudes but it is never your child that is the Looking at these hallmarks – a ‘good’ school’ is problem. a far cry from the Ofsted outstanding benchmark! However holding this view of ‘good’ as a governor in To conclude: this education climate is hard. Become that ally to your child – identify and Schools are increasingly forced to conform to celebrate their amazing gifts and strengths and tougher and tougher attainment measures which, ensure that the school does too. by their very nature, are exclusive. I see it every day – where the children that are unable to conform are at risk of exclusion. I often feel there is little I can do. I am the one parent governor at the school and am part of a dying breed as academies are not required to have any parent governors at all!

Try and understand your child’s rights under the law, educate yourself about the school, the education climate and the legislation.

Always communicate with the school in a positive way and introduce your child focussing on their gifts and strengths.

I am a minority in a governing body which does not Try and choose a school that has inclusive values, govern in any meaningful way – we really rubber is diverse and appears less obsessed with league stamp what the head teacher has already decided! tables and results. You may well ask why I am continuing to be a Join the parents’ group, go along to events, governor? Well, it does give me insights into the meetings, anything you can attend at the school. challenges schools face. It also allows me to understand what my children’s school are doing Build connections with the school, create positive and where they are going and It helps me to build relationships, adopt a conciliatory approach and relationships with key people at the school – and remember the climate that schools are operating in. It is all too easy to be angry and to fight – after relationships are very important. all for most parents it has been a constant battle So what can you positively do as a parent In this on behalf of their child– but fighting ultimately does climate? not achieve much. My first piece of advice for parents of children who Finally - remember and remind the school that you are perceived as different or difficult – terms which are on the same side – wanting the very best for I reject, would be to intentionally and proactively our children, for all children. build relationships with staff at your child’s school.

Lucy Bartley

Developing practice Perceptions of inclusion

e are four researchers working within the Faculty of Education at Edge Hill University who wish to share some findings of our ongoing research that had two stages. In the first stage of the research, school children took photographs of their understanding of inclusion in and around school. In the second stage, some of the images taken by the children were then shared with children and adults working in the field of education, to elicit their responses and interpretations of inclusion.

four schools (two primary and two secondary) were given disposable cameras and asked to take images that they believed represented inclusion or exclusion. The children were asked to explain either verbally or in writing what the photographs they had taken meant to them. This offered a window into their worlds and their understandings of inclusion for us and for their teachers. They were also asked to give a small amount of information about themselves, such as gender, age, and whether or not they identified as having an educational need. Inclusion within education settings has, through The photo-elicitation method was chosen because policies and social justice campaigns, become we felt it encouraged the active engagement of integral to much school policy and practice. It is children and young people in research rather than often associated with belonging, participation conducting research upon them. It was felt that and respect for others (CSIE 2015). Yet what is children’s perspectives and experiences around understood by the term ‘inclusion’ remains open to inclusion might be heard more cogently than interpretation. In order to investigate in some depth through traditional research approaches, such as what different people might understand about interviews or observations. Using an approach in what inclusion means and what it might look like which children produce photographs and annotate in practice, we embarked on a research project to them as they choose is, we felt, suitable for children explore the views and interpretations of both school as it provides involvement and ownership. Such an approach also assisted those who communicate children and adults working in education. differently or who have a preference for visual In the first part of our study, a photo-elicitation rather than verbal communication. research method was used whereby children in In the second part of the study, thirty of the

Photographer:

Examples of responses to cartoonised image

9 year old boy who self-identified as having moderate learning difficulties, based in a primary school. He said: “This image is of inclusion – with grown-ups to help if you can’t do it yourself”

Boy aged 9 with a moderate learning difficulty attending a mainstream primary school: “This is exclusion, adults always take over and we can only watch and then they say ‘look what X has done’ but I haven’t.” Adults: “This concerns me. The adults are doing the activity and the child is doing none of it himself”. “Boy looks needy and not happy with the whole experience”. “The boy is getting one to one help from his teacher”. “(I see) Unhappiness, no acceptance of what child can do, smothering”. “Inclusion – Child in middle is being helped and they are trying to involve him”.

Developing practice Photographer: Twelve year old female pupil in a secondary school, who did not identify as having educational needs. She said: “Using your mobile phone to keep other people out. Secrets.”

Examples of responses to cartoonised image 18 year old female student: “Inclusion – looks like friendship, not forced or organised”. Adults: “Inclusion as both engaged”. “Exclusion: girls together sharing something on screen of the mobile. Looks to me like they are finding amusement in something not particularly nice on the phone.” “Don’t know what they are doing on phone, could be bullying could be asking more friends to come out”. “Inclusion –Both girls appear relaxed and happy in each other’s company”. “Mobile phones – exclusion for poorer children”. photographs taken by the children were selected by the research team and anonymised via software that ‘cartoonises’ the image. These altered images were then shared with children in four different schools (two primary and two secondary), groups of trainee teachers and other adults working in the field of education during conferences, workshops or teaching sessions. The groups of adults were shown the photographs and asked for their views about whether they thought the images taken by the children represented inclusion or exclusion and to discuss and explain their reasoning. They were not informed of the children’s interpretation until the end of the discussions. The intention of this process was to consider how personal experiences of school life, as pupils or teachers, might influence how they interpret practices intended to be inclusive. The aim was to go beyond defining forms of inclusive practice and instead find a way for trainee teachers and other adults working with children to ‘hear’ children’s voices, and access the ‘multi-voiced-ness’ of children’s lived experiences relating to inclusion.

however, tended to show a discomfort with the image, revolving around the children and ownership of the baking activity. The positioning of the two adults and the two children and how this was framed in the image seemed to them to imply exclusion. Some interpreted the boy in the centre as receiving personalised support, while others showed concern, suggesting that the teacher was ‘smothering’ the child or taking over control of the task. Concern revolved around the relationship between the adults and children and the level of engagement each had in the task depicted. Mobile phone image

There were similarities with how this image and the previous baking image was perceived. With the mobile phone example, responses identified the image as either inclusive, with friends sharing something, or as friends excluding, or even gaining amusement from possibly bullying others. The differing suggestions appeared to be predicated on the same aspect of the image; the assumed intimacy between the girls, portrayed by their physical closeness and body language and an assumed To provide a flavour of what is emerging from our distance between them and other pupils not in the research, two of the many images taken by the picture. Perhaps these differing interpretations also children are shown. point to a wider issue of how mobile phones, and Baking image the social media accessed through them, mediate The 9 year old boy who took this photograph saw relationships between people. this as inclusion. The comments by the adults, We are not suggesting one view is more accurate

Parent voice or has more value than another when it comes to ‘seeing’ or capturing inclusion. Our interest is in understanding why those involved with the research, both children and adults, can offer different and often contradictory views around inclusion and what they feel it is, or ought to be. The children and young people interpreted the image through the lens of their own experiences and commented accordingly. This certainly seems to be the case with the second boy who commented on the baking image by saying “exclusion - look what (name) has done, but I haven’t”. With the adults, rather than put themselves into the position of those in the image, their discussions circulated around space, place, positioning or a modification of presence. For example, there were many comments such as ‘it would be inclusive if x moved here…’. The use of photo-elicitation created the opportunity to access different points of view about what constitutes inclusion or exclusion, or something in between. However few made explicit references to whether practices were fair, equal or just. In this article we have only shared a snapshot of our research and a few comments relating to just two photographs. We hope to gather further views from both children and adults. We are interested in hearing the reactions of Inclusion Now readers to the images and comments. Are the images inclusive? Do you agree or disagree with the views offered? Moreover: what is inclusion? Can it be captured? How do we know inclusion has ‘happened’? You can see a fuller version of this article with larger pictures at www.allfie.org.uk/blog, and comment there.

Interview

ichard Rieser talked to mother and daughter, Carly and Honey Jones, about their joint experience of autism.

Tell us something about you and your family, particularly you and Honey? My daughter Honey and I have , I guess, an average mother and daughter relationship. We enjoy spending time together and have lots in common. However we have something else in common that maybe other mothers and daughters do not; we are both Autistic. In fact Honey was the first Autistic female I had met: my own daughter. So little was known about Autistic women and girls when I was growing up that I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 32; my daughter and her younger sister were diagnosed as Autistic at 2 and 6 years old. Tell us something about autism, how it affects you and people’s reactions? The way our Autism affects us is actually a great deal more than people may assume from the outside looking in. Outwardly we may seem to be “mild” in our Autism presentation but a mild diagnosis does not mean a mild life experience – in many cases it means the non-autistic person’s experience of us is milder perhaps?

We have a small amount of funding to extend this project and are able to offer workshop sessions with groups of children in schools around the UK to gather further views and experiences about inclusive education. If you would like to discuss hosting a workshop, or anything in relation to this research please do not hesitate to contact us via Dr Clare Woolhouse, woolhouc@edgehill.co.uk

Clare Woolhouse. Linda Dunne, Fiona Hallett and Virginia Kay, Edge Hill University 11

At the UN, Geneva

Parent voice have known better and protected her; a handful of educational staff. On one occasion in 2008 a teacher made a dunce hat out of red cardboard, wrote in black marker “I will be polite to everyone I meet”, and forced her, then only six, to wear it for a full school day. What were the high and low points of Honey’s inclusion?

At the UN, Geneva

For Honey it means a great deal of anxiety and being misunderstood – it meant having to choose at 13 to have the human right to an education or her human right to health - not both, as both for an Autistic female is near impossible in the current educational system.

I moved Honey to a local school with an autism unit attached to it. This was a perfect situation as although Honey did not require the unit full time she could dip in and out of the unit’s support, and the whole school had an autism ethos as all staff were trained and had hands-on experience of autism rather than read a book once! Unfortunately my daughter aged out of that ideal school situation and moved to secondary school which was just awful – it ended up with a very anxious child unable to learn – and some teachers being told some home truths after months of them proclaiming they knew all about autism only for one staff member to severely punish my daughter for “not looking at him when he was talking”.

For me it means anxiety, a need to second guess every action and for a predictable outcome, all the while being not so capable at predicting an outcome at all? It means a great deal of social isolation and What needs to change? loneliness, but it also means concentrated interests and intelligence (without any exams to prove it as I There needs to be more research, understanding and action to bring our educational systems into couldn’t cope at school either!). the future and to ensure inclusion really does mean Why do you think it is important for Honey to be all. No child should have to choose between their included in mainstream education? health and education. Home education has helped It Is so vital that Honey and indeed her sister and my daughter, but it isn’t the answer. It is elected other girls like her have the access to participate exclusion, as inclusion was not an option open to in mainstream education; there is a whole wealth her. Autism training by autistic adults in schools of subjects taught at secondary school level that is a must. In fact it should be done yearly for both have very little to do with academia; friendships, students and staff as a legal requirement. routine, time management, health education, sex A stop gap is the Olley Edwards academy, set up in education, conflict resolution, all of which Autistic Jan 2015 for home educated Aspergers /Autistic/ females and males can go without when school PDA children who did not flourish emotionally in isn’t equipped, trained and experienced in how school and are therefore home educated. The autism looks and how to support, understand and academy’s aim is to prevent isolation and seek most importantly RESPECT the wonderful asset inspiration and friendship in activities and small Autism is. meet ups for those unable to attend larger events. What have been the challenges?

Carly and Honey run a website to help other with autistic members http:// The challenges Honey had at school were totally families avoidable – sadly her mistreatment was not in full britishautismadvocate.simpl.com/ by other students, who would be perhaps too young Email Carly Jones: olleyedwards@hotmail.co.uk to understand Autism, but by those who should

Richard Rieser

Opinion IQ testing and disabled children “We have to provide an IQ score so that the CAHMS team can allocate their resources. They keep asking us....” (Principal Educational Psychologist 2008- Unnamed UK Local Authority)

intellectual capability would be a serious mistake. Binet feared that IQ measurement would be used to condemn a child to a permanent “condition” of stupidity, damaging his or her life chances:

ntelligence testing began in earnest when in Ipsychologist 1904 the French government commissioned Alfred Binet to find a method of

‘Some recent thinkers…[affirm] that an individual’s intelligence is a fixed quantity, a quantity that cannot be increased. We must protest and react differentiating between children who were against this brutal pessimism; we must try to ‘intellectually normal and those who were demonstrate that it is founded on nothing.’ (Binet) inferior’, in order to put the latter into special Binet’s scale had a profound impact on educational schools where they would receive more individual development. However, the educators and attention. In this way the disruption they caused psychologists who championed the scale and its in the education of intellectually normal children revisions failed to heed Binet’s caveats. could be avoided. Sound Cyril Burt, the first educational familiar? ‘[Some] assert that an psychologist for London in individual’s intelligence is a This was a natural development 1913, was less cautious than fixed quantity, a quantity that from Darwinism and the Binet. A Social Darwinist, he cannot be increased. We must Eugenics movement that dates was convinced of the inherited protest and react against this back to 1869. Sir Francis Galton basis of intelligence and fond of brutal pessimism; we must promoted the idea that for society psychometrics. This gave great try to demonstrate that it is to prosper the ‘weakest’ should impetus to segregated education founded on nothing.’ not be allowed to have babies, based on categorisation of as this would affect the genetic (Alfred Binet, 1909) children. Burt’s reputation is stock of future generations. He now linked to his fraudulent and his many followers were invention of data about inherited intelligence contemptuous of any impact education might based on non-existent twin studies but at the time have on raising the achievement of the ‘least able’ his influence was enormous. (Thomas and Loxley, 20071). When medical officers were largely responsible Binet’s work led to the development of the Binet for selecting pupils for UK special schools the Scale, a new approach to assessing mental ability. most important item in the selection process was However, Binet himself cautioned against its the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Although misuse or misunderstanding. According to Binet, such decisions are now a result of a Full Statutory it was designed only to identify children requiring Assessment in which parents’ wishes are significant, special education, not as “a general device for substantial numbers of educational psychologists ranking all pupils according to mental worth.” Binet across the UK still use psychometric tools. Despite noted that “the scale, properly speaking, does not being modernised to include tests such as the permit the measure of intelligence.” WISC-R and the BAS (British Ability Scales) their Since, according to Binet, intelligence could not core constructs remain unaltered. be described as a single score, the use of the This is surprising as the shortcomings of such Intelligence Quotient (IQ) (a notion coined by tools have been long known and debated among Terman in 1916) as a definite statement of a child’s educational psychologists. Yet scores are still 1 References for this article can be found at http://allfie.org.uk/ pages/IN46-references.html

demanded particularly around those for whom measurement is the most difficult. There is a wealth

Opinion of literature critical of the role and negative impact of IQ testing (Leyden, 1978, Lokke et. al, 1997; Leadbetter, 2005, Farrell and Venables, 2008) and yet educational psychologists still spend much of their time undertaking formal special education evaluations using psychometric assessment including IQ tests (Shapiro et al., 2004 and Farrell and Venables, 2009).

IQ tests only capture a few aspects of many different ‘intelligences’ or ‘systems of abilities’ omitting, for example, creative and practical intelligence, social, emotional and moral intelligence, and lateral and radiant thinking. Wisdom is not considered. IQ tests are ‘static’ (‘What has the child learned?’) rather than ‘dynamic’ (‘What does the child achieve when given guided feedback?) - they measure not Test scores are appealing, offering the immediate intelligence but a child’s attainments in arbitrarily and seductive appeal of a spuriously precise, selected skills. They only measure a sample of situations in which so-called intelligent behaviour defined result in a complex educational world. is revealed and do not capture the complexity of Why are such tests so problematic? real-life situations. Intelligence tests have been The tests were primarily designed for white, middle- criticized for their limited ability to predict non-test class children and are unfair and invalid when or nonacademic intellectual abilities. used on children from different backgrounds. Critics assert that potential is gauged by simply Attempts to create culturally neutral tests have adding up correct answers, ignoring how a child has proved unsuccessful; no test has been found that arrived at them; but research has demonstrated does not reward some cultural groups over others. that the child who answers wrongly may understand Intelligence may be as great in different groups, but as much about a problem as the one who answers questions may need to be approached differently correctly, perhaps by guessing. due to differences in cultural background. The tests have been challenged in court for racial and A central criticism of IQ tests is that they are used cultural bias, but there have been no definitive to distribute limited resources and provide rewards: special classes for gifted students, admission to rulings on them. college, employment or the opposite with special So much caution has to be applied when education placement. Those who do not qualify for administering and interpreting such assessment resources based on test scores may feel thwarted processes with different cultural groups that major and resentful. Negative assumptions have been validity questions are raised on every occasion. It initiated, aspirations lowered and self-fulfilling has been shown that test outcomes can depend prophecies created. Unfortunately, intelligence test on familiarity with the test materials, the procedure scores have become associated with self-worth. and the examiner. At worst such assessments have been used to “No one would believe until I demonstrated it with wrongly place pupils from ethnic minorities in controls that the IQ scores of pupils from an open special schools and units. The PLASC and School air school could be lifted 10 points or so by thawing Level Annual School Census (2002) revealed them out on the hot water pipes for half an hour Black Caribbean pupils were over represented in before testing.” (Head of Special School-quoted in Pupil Referral Units (5.8% compared with 1.5% in Galloway and Goodwin, 1979) mainstream schools). Even more relevant was that In one US experiment, asking 99 school 3.6% of Pakistani pupils were in special schools. psychologists to independently score an IQ test Would this have anything to do with factors such from identical records resulted in IQs ranging from as poverty? Or are some pupils still being assessed 63 (mild learning difficulties) to 117 (gifted) for and doing badly on culturally biased tests? the same individual. In addition, differences in the Dyson and Gallannaugh (2008) have also interpretation of test scores for entire groups have considered the disproportionate presence of been documented (Ropers and Menzel, 2007). students from different social groups in the UK Anxiety is also known to affect test scores. If being special needs system and argue that it reflects tested makes you anxious you will score lower.

Opinion broad educational and social inequalities.

“I scored relatively high in an IQ test when I Many intelligence tests produce a single score. This was a child. Since then I have done many many is inadequate in explaining the multidimensional many very very very stupid things in my life. I still aspects of intelligences. Two people can have wonder what that test has to do with intelligence identical scores, yet one may have obtained the or understanding at all.” (Alex Wien, Austria, 2009) score due to strong verbal skills while the other may Many people assume intelligence tests measure have obtained it due to strong skills in perceiving inborn intelligence that will never change, when in and organising various tasks. reality they are based on an individual’s interaction Linda S. Siegel (1992) proposes we abandon the IQ with the environment and can never exclusively test in the analysis of the disabled child. According measure inborn intelligence - if such an entity even to most definitions intelligence consists of logical exists. People continue to learn throughout their reasoning, problem solving, critical thinking, and lives and no-one has proved the existence of fixed adaptation. However, examining the content of IQ potential, a ceiling that lasts a lifetime. tests, they test virtually none of these skills.

Anne Donnellan (1994), recommended adoption of the “Least Dangerous Assumption.” When faced with a disabled child who does not appear to be learning, educators can either assume that she is incapable of learning and segregate her from her peers, or keep on exposing her to learning. Whether the child in fact learns nothing, or simply cannot communicate what she learns, the latter is by far the least dangerous assumption.

Siegel gives a detailed analysis of the subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for ChildrenRevised (WISC-R), often used in diagnosing learning difficulties. In each subtest of the Verbal scale, performance is in varying degrees dependent on specific knowledge, vocabulary, expressive language and memory skills, while in the Performance scale, visual-spatial abilities, fine motor coordination, perceptual skills, and in some Intelligence testing is still widely relied on subtests speed, are essential for scoring. in allocating scarce resources in the special According to Siegel it is a paradox that IQ scores are educational needs system in the UK and SEN required of disabled people, many of whom have tribunals are over-fixated on the percentiles scored difficulty in one or more of these skills. They may in the WISC Test. An inclusive approach which end up with a lower IQ score than a non-disabled respects disability equality is based not on labelling person, even if they have identical reasoning and and attachment of scores but on the needs of the child in a mainstream inclusive environment, problem-solving skills. identifying supports and reasonable adjustments Most tests are carried out against the clock. If to help them be involved and progress in their you are slow because of movement differences learning at a challenging pace that suits them. or learning style you will do worse. If doing things is hard for you because of any kind of physical With the Government drawing up legislation for impairment or difference then you will score less selective education this will again be based on IQ type testing to select the most able. In the 50s well against a ‘typical ‘population. and 60s educationalists learned to their cost that Another assumption is that an IQ score should selection by ability was grossly unfair as children predict reading ability. However, many individuals developed in different ways and at different rates. have low IQ scores and are very good readers, By the age of 18 often those who had failed the 11+ making a nonsense of this way of thinking. exam outperformed those who had passed, and IQ scores and psychometric test results are clinically the test results had little relation to life success. focused on the child or young person’s deficits Let us not make the same mistakes again. especially if they have additional support needs. Colin Newton They provide one answer to the vexing question concluding paragraphs Richard Rieser ‘What is wrong with you?’

Events quiet riot

freedom fighters

– 26 June 2016 was a weekend to remember. ‘Freedom Fighters’ from the UK and Ireland joined in the Freedom Fighters Festival in Amsterdam. The festival focused on raising the public conscience about the way disabled people continue to be denied their freedoms. In particular the freedom of people who do not use speech to use alternative ways to communicate in the world. With a gathering of like-minded individuals, we were immersed in fascinating discussions, invited to listen to an amazing variety of insights into how education, housing, employment, independent living could work in the interest of everyone, and this included the struggles people had about getting out of institutions and living their lives independently. A common theme throughout this weekend was the crucial role of good and effective personal support. It was reassuring to witness many examples of personal support working in mutually respectful relationships.

freedoms that so many non-disabled people take for granted. Those attending the Freedom Fighters Festival were a group of individuals fighting for a society in which justice and freedom are part of a collective struggle.

The festival was organised by Thiandi Gooff and her two mothers, Trix and Jose, women from Inclusion Netherlands, who involved many different groups, It was necessary to remind all participants that communities and individuals into the Freedom despite the failings of State Governments the United Fighters Festival, recognising the value of creating Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with inclusive communities for all people in those Disabilities (UNCRPD) 2006 Article 4, clearly states communities. that governments should “ensure and promote the full realisation of all human rights and fundamental Thiandi is a member of the group Quiet Riot, a group of young people who do not use speech and freedoms”. yet have so much to communicate. As part of the And yet, ten years on, we continue to hear how festival, the group launched ‘Quiet Riot Collected: many disabled people are denied fundamental Facilitated Fables’, a collection of their poems and prose, with challenging, triumphant, celebratory sub-texts and revelations of discrimination. The book was orchestrated by a founder member of the group Maresa McKeith who collected contributions from Quiet Riot members. In total 11 contributors participated, sharing some 43 poems. Members of Quiet Riot were able to present their poems with the support of their PAs. One such poem was ‘Walls of Families: Auschwitz’ by Maresa, which recounts the experience of ‘a boy looking at the wall of pictures’, and ‘the invisible thousands’. Maresa takes the reader on a journey being “unborn, looking forward to life but tested as ‘not

Events required’’’, asking a fundamental question about choice and concluding with the haunting passage that “there are still too many poems that will not fit on a memorial wall”. Of interest is also the number of challenging comments which appear on the back cover, one of which is by Blake Williamson who shares his experience of a “lifetime of effort” making reference to “one disability phobic act” which “makes you defensive and defenceless”. Blake makes reference to a “disabling world” yet with his PAs is committed to challenging a “world made by non-disabled people” for a “more just society”. As the Freedom Fighters Festival gathered pace, there was an opportunity to meet with Amsterdam’s local politicians and ask questions about access, education, employment and living independently. The discussion was lively, informative and raised a number of acknowledged concerns as to how disabled people were often excluded from political participation.

believe in each other” and being amongst people “who I identify with and don’t have to explain myself to” in a “wonderful atmosphere of welcome and solidarity”. Anthony Kletzander replied “it meant a really good opportunity to discuss the issues that affect people like myself and those like me”. Raphael who contributed an untitled poem which uses the line of “freedom on hold”, recounts his lasting memory of participating in the “poetry gig”. For Paul-Thomas there were “lots of moments of light and music”, consisting of “freedom and acceptance” and the “value of an active movement”. For Thiandi there was a gratitude of having visiting friends and loving “the tolerance and respect and the music and the inspiration” and wanting to “organise it again”.

Social events included visiting community centres, sharing meals, and attending an Opera concert The Freedom Fighters Festival was an important in the park which was attended by hundreds of reminder of the way disabled people continue to fight enthusiasts. for freedoms which have yet to be actively realised. During the festival weekend, there was an organised The festival was embodied with a celebratory march, accompanied by a brass band, consisting of tone celebrating difference, pursuing change, like-minded individuals which mobilised residents acknowledging diversity and fundamentally about from local communities to participate on a common our reciprocal interdependence. As we return to theme relating to ending the segregation of disabled the UK, awaiting political and social fragmentation, what a week to remember and remind us of our people, to human rights and social justice. struggle for human rights and social justice! In asking individuals for their recollections of attending the Freedom Fighters Festival Maresa Navin Kikabhai responded that she was surrounded by “a focus to The book can be purchased at http://bit.ly/2q99wU1

Nottingham Community Circles The purpose of community circles is to bring people from a local community together to share their skills, talents, gifts and resources. We believe that everyone needs community. They will be on the second Wednesday of the month New venue! St Judes Church Hall, Woodborough Road, Mapperley, Nottingham NG3 5HE Phone: 0845 458 9595 / 0115 960 8254. Any questions please email: inclusive.solutions@me.com http://inclusive-solutions.com/circles/community-circles/

Legal Question am a parent of two children. My 13 year old non-disabled son has passed the 11 plus exam and is attending the local school, which happens to be a grammar school. I would like my 10 year old daughter, who has learning difficulties, to attend the same school. We believe my daughter will be disadvantaged by the 11 plus test to such an extent that she will fail the assessments. Can we challenge the use of the 11 plus test’s content and marking arrangements (rather than arrangements made around administering them ie making papers available in large print on different coloured paper etc)? Can I challenge the use of the 11 plus test in the admissions process under the Equality Act 2010 on the grounds that it is biased towards non-disabled pupils?

he use of selection tests arguably cannot be said to amount to discrimination against disabled students, unless there is evidence that a particular disabled child is put at a disadvantage due to: • the content of the test; • the manner in which it is administered; or • the marking arrangements. If there is evidence that the tests are biased against disabled candidates, that may give rise to a claim for indirect discrimination on the ground that it puts disabled candidates at a particular disadvantage. It is important to remember however that any discrimination challenge will need to show that a particular individual has suffered a disadvantage as a result of a discriminatory act or practice. It is not enough to claim that disabled individuals are likely to suffer a disadvantage as a result of it. If a school had taken reasonable adjustments to remedy any disadvantage suffered by disabled candidates in being required to take the test, it may make it harder to argue indirect discrimination. The duty to take reasonable adjustments means that schools should take pro-active steps to remedy any disadvantage before it is suffered by any disabled pupils. Once made aware of a disadvantage that may be experienced by a disabled individual, the school would be expected to take reasonable steps to avoid this disadvantage which is likely to vary for each disabled candidate. Reasonable adjustments would normally be made in administering and/or sitting the test rather than its content or marking arrangements. This may include giving the

disabled candidate more time to complete the test, providing them with a note taker, or other similar adjustments. It would be more difficult to identify reasonable adjustments that should be made to the content and marking criteria. If it was clear that there were reasonable adjustments that the school should have made and did not, this may point to its failure to make reasonable adjustments. Where a candidate has dyslexia, it is reasonable that they should not lose marks due to this. Ultimately, schools are not required to make any adjustments that they do not have the financial resources to make, only what is ‘reasonable’ in the circumstances. If your child is disabled and you are concerned that they will struggle in future admission tests, you should tell the admissions administrator of your child’s disability in advance, ask that reasonable adjustments be made for your child and explain what those should be. Evidence of your child’s disability will be required to support your request, for example medical reports or any evidence from her current school. If you are concerned that reasonable adjustments have not been made, you should report this immediately to the school and admissions authority. You can also bring a challenge via the admissions appeals process based on discrimination principles. If you are concerned that your child may have been subject to discrimination by a school, please contact education law specialists Simpson Millar LLP on 0808 129 3320 or online at www.simpsonmillar. co.uk/ourfirm/contacts/contactus.

Serena Fassò Serena Fassò is a Solicitor with Simpson Millar and specialises in Education, Community Care and Public Law.

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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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