I don’t think it should come as any surprise that another scandal at a special school and/or care service has come to light – thanks yet again to the investigative team at BBC Panorama. You can read the shocking report at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp6643jd8nwo or watch the whole Panorama programme (from 17/06/24) at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0020c93/panorama-undercover-school-cruelty-in-the-classroom.
Acknowledging the deeply distressing, but depressingly familiar nature of this story, I would also like to focus more broadly on one aspect of the BBC report; in one paragraph towards the end. This paragraph states the almost unbelievable facts that, here in the UK:
‘Whilst background checks are carried out, those wanting to open an independent special school don’t need to have teaching experience or any knowledge of the Send sector. They are not required to employ qualified teachers and they can use their own curricula.‘
Yes, that’s right – the apparently special education needs of our most vulnerable and educationally, behaviourally or emotionally challenged children can be carried out in schools set up (presumably in many cases for profit) by people without any ‘teaching experience or any knowledge of the Send sector‘. Yes, there is no statutory requirement for that!
And yes again, apparently they don’t have to employ any ‘qualified teachers‘, whether with any special educational experience or otherwise. Yes, that’s true – there is no statutory requirement for qualified teachers either!
Also, ‘they can use their own curricula‘; presumably without any reference to any benchmarking of best practice or understanding of educational theory or process, special or otherwise – and this is in the 21st century! In an apparently progressive and caring society.
But yet again, this should come as no surprise – over the last 5 years here in the UK we have had 6 different people hold the post of ‘Secretary of State for Education’ – some for a few weeks, one apparently for just two days! We have also had 8 people supposedly act as ‘Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing’ – but who would know? What has been the beneficial outcome of their combined effort?
But what should we expect with such a chaotic, revolving political door? Who amongst them all cared enough and/or stayed long enough to fully understand their brief and effect any reasonable, rational policy change for the better?
I think this is just illustrative of the extremely low priority that education, and special education in particular, has had under this last government; there is no other conclusion which can be reasonably drawn. Let’s hope that changes for the better … and soon.
It simply has to!
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