Cambridge report: British students with disabilities need safe areas to be between classes

From the BBC:

Pupils with learning disabilities would like safe areas in school to counter their vulnerability between lessons and at break times, a report has said.

Often problems could be avoided if the young people were consulted - boosting their skills and self-confidence.

The report - What about us? - comes from Cambridge University's education faculty and the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities.

Researchers worked with nine different institutions around the UK.

They found that involving young people in such a study could enhance their social and emotional well-being and status among other students, and develop the sort of skills they needed to lead productive adult lives.

Official policy is to encourage the teaching of children with special educational needs alongside their peers in mainstream schools.

"The overall message from students was that the inclusion policy is a good one, but that it needs to be translated and put into practice more effectively," said Cambridge University lecturer in special and inclusive education, Richard Byers.

"Schools are very busy places and are naturally concerned about challenging and developing all their students.

"In most of the successful schools and colleges we worked with, however, it was clear that it was entirely possible to drive towards excellence and include young people with learning difficulties at the same time."

These young people wanted the chance to influence the day-to-day running of their places of learning through bodies such as student councils.

But it was "noticeable" that they were not included and sometimes did not even know their school had such a council.

Consulting them meant simple issues were easily resolved. The report mentions a wheelchair ramp that was too steep and sinks in an art room that were too high.

It said a lot of the young people involved in the study felt that the extra curricular parts of the day could be particularly stressful and wanted "safe places" to go to.

"They felt that if they could go into a library, a social area or somewhere that was actively staffed and developed for them, things would be better."

In the lessons, consistency and continuity were "vital".

"In one college, most staff working with students with learning difficulties were part-time, paid by the hour, and did not know where they would be teaching from one year to the next.

"This had a negative impact on student experiences."

Jill Davies of the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities said the students provided a very effective check on policy implementation and quality.

"Involving them in this way is good for schools, colleges and policy-makers - as well as being good for the young people themselves."