Improvements sought in special education

Important improvements are needed for special education, writes BOB LIPSCOMBE.

Federation acknowledges that there have been a number of significant improvements in support for special education in NSW public schools in recent years. These have included the establishment of additional special education classes, especially Autism and emotionally disturbed (ED) classes, the establishment of behaviour schools and units, and the appointment of an additional 700 teachers aides special. In most cases these have been secured as the result of action by Federation and action by members in particular schools. Nevertheless, significant areas of concern remain. These include the increasing of special education class sizes to fund the provision of a full time teachers aide for every special education class, the continued integration of students into the mainstream without adequate resources and support, the failure to apply the secondary staffing formula to SSPs with secondary students, the failure to adequately address occupational health and safety concerns, especially where those have arisen in relation to violent students, the removal of support teacher learning assistance (STLA) allocations where a significant need continues to exist in a school, the inadequacy of integration funding support and the inadequacy of counselling and therapy services.

Some of these issues arise because the Department of Education and Training's (DET's) cost-neutral approach to areas of support leads to the withdrawal and reallocation of support from schools with a continuing need. The two most obvious examples are the allocation of intellectually mild (IM) classes and STLAs. While DET has informed Federation that the fixed number of 422 IM "provisions" will be maintained in 2007, there will be some reallocation. In 2006 there are 352 discrete IM classes, including 31 on review, and 70 classes operating through an integrated mode. In 2007 there will be 348 discrete IM classes and 74 operating through an integrated mode. However, of the total number, seven classes will be reallocated within regions to other schools. Similarly, with STLAs, there will be no reduction in the total allocation across the state in 2007 but many schools will experience a change in their allocation.

Workload continues to be a problem for teachers both in special education and integrated settings. Much of this is related to day-to-day care, assessments, preparation, individual learning programs and individual health plans and coordinating work with teachers aides. In relation to workload, however, it should be noted DET does not require individual learning programs for students integrated into regular classes.

Federation is currently pursuing with the State Government the following improvements in special education in the lead up to the state election and the state budget in 2007:

• the restoration of special education class sizes to pre-2005 levels with the maintenance of a full time aide on every class
• secondary staffing supplementation for all SSPs with secondary age student enrolments
• the provision of additional teaching staff where necessary to ensure that teaching staff are always available to intervene in crisis situations
• inbuilt relief for emotionally disturbed/behaviour disorder (ED/BD) classes and schools, in recognition of the difficulties experienced in attracting appropriate casual relief
• additional school counsellor support for ED/BD schools and classes
• improvements in integration funding
• significant improvements to the provision of speech therapy and occupational therapy for special education students, including those integrated into mainstream classes.

Information about this campaign will shortly be distributed to all schools. As well as looking at options available under occupational health and safety legislation to address particular concerns within schools, it is most important that members, in consultation with their Federation Organiser, consider appropriate political and/or industrial strategies that they can take to support this campaign and secure important improvements for special education

Bob Lipscombe is the Senior Vice President.