Selection by the back door

“I think your son would be better served by one of the other local schools.” Or “We don’t have any teachers that know about autism, so I don’t think your daughter would be very happy here.” Sound familiar? If you’re a parent of a child with a special educational need (SEN) then sadly these sentiments probably do.
 
Over the years a number of parents of children with SEN have shared similar stories with me. Sometimes parents seem genuinely pleased that a school has been so upfront about their unwillingness to support a young person with different needs. Others have been understandably outraged that the local school their child was expecting to go to with their friends would shut the door on them based on their disability.
 
After all, we have clear laws against disability discrimination. All schools have to make reasonable adjustments to enable young people with SEN to go to the school of their choice.
 
For headteacher Nigel Utton to speak out about the darker motives behind these comments from schools was a bold move. He explained the growing numbers of children with SEN in alternative provision: “It’s all about statistics and league tables – because by putting them in annexed provision they don’t count towards league tables.” This worrying trend is likely to see more children with SEN turned away from schools under the radar before they even get to an open day.
 
Whatever your view about the Education Secretary, you have to admire Michael Gove’s relentless focus on creating excellence in the education system. But – we may ask – who for? Where is the research about what an excellent education looks like for children with SEN? What do we know about measuring and promoting progress for children who aren’t working at national curriculum levels? Don’t they deserve excellence too?
 
Some studies have been done, and many organisations do a great job of sharing and promoting teaching approaches for children with additional needs. But a dialogue about excellent teaching for kids with SEN simply does not exist in the mainstream education debate today. And while league tables remain so narrowly focussed on a band of young people in “the middle” it will be a herculean task to change that.
 
If politicians want to free schools up to deliver excellent education for all pupils they need the guts to develop league tables that value progress for all pupils. The Department for Education says this bold change is coming. The quicker they create it, the less children will be written off before they get through the school gates.

Kate Williams is head of policy and public affairs at Ambitious about Autism. Follow Ambitious about Autism on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmbitiousAutism