Provision for students with learning differences has been in the news regularly over the last few months and, following on from last week’s news on the review of the national curriculum, SEND has hit the headlines today in the UK as local authorities struggle to manage growing numbers of young people who need a more specialist education than that which is provided in the mainstream classroom.
A review of the system has been mooted for several years and is now seen as even more important given the pressures on the system, but fears are that any reform may look to cut costs rather than improve the provision for those most in need.
The BBC, reporting on the problem, note that the numbers of young people needing different education provision has risen by up to nearly 15% over the last year with predictions showing that by the end of the decade, 5% of children in UK schools may need this help. This has put huge, and increasing, financial pressure on councils which, combined with other factors have created a financial deficit of £4.4bn.
The potential that any review will disadvantage these children is proving very concerning to parents who often wait for over a year before an Education and Health Care Plan is formalised and implemented. Many, in desperation, look for ways to ensure that their child doesn’t fall further behind in their education, whilst schools struggle with their limited resources to provide an effective education for these children in the mainstream classroom.
At Elea High Online School, we have seen a dramatic rise in enquiries from parents whose children struggle in the mainstream classroom and who don’t have access to specialist help from their government funded schools.
Whilst a private education is a solution – many private schools have the resources to make a difference in these children’s lives, few parents can afford expensive private school fees.
This is where online schools such as Elea High Online School can help to bridge the gap. Fees are generally much lower than private education because of lower overheads, and the small classes offered by some schools like Elea High allow more attention to be given to those with most need of it. Additionally, for many SEND children, learning in their home environment is an advantage – they are in familiar surroundings, don’t have the often-negative influence of changing visual and auditory stimulus that a journey to and from a physical school setting can create and avoid the potential of bullying from other students.
Acknowledging the demand from this sector of education, online schools are rising to the challenge, employing specialists to support online students with learning differences and, through their coaching and mentoring sessions, linked to individual education plans, young people in these learning environments are finally getting the help they need and the opportunity to reach their potential.
Many parents may believe that this solution is out of reach for them, despite the lower fees of online schools but local authorities are compelled to provide an effective education for young people and this can often mean using private schools and online schools where the local authority lacks the capacity. Fees are either fully or partly funded by the local authority and, where barriers have been encountered in accessing this solution, parents have often found that resorting to legal advice has encouraged a faster and more positive response.
If you and your child is in this position, it can be worthwhile to talk to online education providers like Elea High Online School.
