Support for Children in Mainstream Education

As a parent, you may feel that your child, despite their difficulties, may benefit from mainstream education within an all-abilities environment. Many children with learning disabilities are able to gain a place in mainstream education in state schools.

If your child has a learning disability and you wish for them to attend a mainstream state school, there are a few key points that you and the local authority will have to consider. Firstly, admission to the school will depend on whether the local authority and the school feel that your child’s attending won’t have a negative impact on other children. For example, the manifestations of some learning difficulties may include challenging behaviour that could disrupt other children’s learning.

It should also be considered whether your child will benefit from mainstream education; they may find communication with their peers difficult, and as a consequence may struggle to form positive relationships with others.

Another consideration is down the local authority alone; this is the decision as to whether your child’s admission to the school will be cost effective. The local authority involved will consult with parents and the school on this matter, but the decision ultimately rests with them. They should keep parents informed about the decision they make.

Development

Learning difficulties and disabilities can be mild, moderate, severe or profound. Children with severe or profound disabilities will require round-the-clock support, and so entering in mainstream education is far from possible. However, children with mild or moderate learning disabilities may be able to receive appropriate support.

A child with learning difficulties, or special needs, may be assessed by their local authority. Individual assessments are sometimes carried out because children learn through different methods, and at different rates. No matter what the learning difficulty or disability, the child will not necessarily ‘conform’ to a set pattern of development.

State schools have a legal obligation to meet special education needs (SEN) and provide support for the children affected. In some cases, this might mean bring in extra specialist support staff. A child with learning disabilities may require a detailed assessment. This is carried out by the local authority, who may also seek specialist advice. It’s worth noting, however, that these types of special needs assessments tend to be a fairly rare occurrence.

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Before Assessment

Before such an assessment is made, a mainstream state school will first try to address any learning difficulties via a tailored action plan, known as School Action or School Action Plus. This is because most children with special needs can receive enough educational support within mainstream schools.

The earlier the special educational needs are identified or diagnosed, the earlier that the child can receive appropriate support. The local authority and school can ensure this by following or adhering to the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. This code guides schools through the process of special needs identification, assessment, and how the school can provide the means to support the child with learning difficulties.

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How To Help Your Child

If your child is already in mainstream education and you believe that they may be experiencing some learning difficulties, your first port of call would be your child’s teacher. You can also contact the school’s headteacher, or the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. You will be able to discuss whether the school thinks that your child could benefit from special educational needs support, and whether there is any extra help, such as additional classes or alternative learning approaches that could be made.

This discussion may kick-start a series of aforementioned action plan steps that the school can take in order to identify and address the needs of your child. Parents of children with learning disabilities can receive additional support via parent partnership services.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Learning Support Finder lets you describe the learning difficulty and we will map out the UK assessment, support and funding routes to pursue. Try it now →