Read the review of the evening
On February 26th Gillian Hutton came to talk to our Redhill meeting about including children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) in mainstream school. Gillian is head of Foresters Primary School in Sutton which has a unit, or 'opportunity base' for 42 children with ASDs which opened in September 1998.
At first the base was in a temporary classroom but the school has now been extended so that it is part of the main school, not separate from it, and the children are regarded as Foresters pupils just like the rest.
Having the base has been of great benefit, not only to the children with ASD but to the whole school. Teachers have learnt to work visually and use less language, and this has benefited all the pupils. The children who do not have special needs have learnt about tolerance and different kinds of people.
Inclusion
The base has a teacher and 3 or
4 special needs assistants (SNAs) for every 10 children. Children are
included in mainstream where possible, and this will vary for each
child. One pupil may only be included at assembly, but another could
have progressed to being full-time in the mainstream classes. An SNA
from the base works with the children who are included in the
mainstream lessons. The inclusion is not all one way, as sometimes
mainstream children have joined in activities with the base pupils,
such as social skills work, music therapy or drama.
Gillian told us how proud she is of the school, it's pupils, staff and parents for the way they have made inclusion so successful. Whilst there is still a lot to learn, and the system is not right for every child, overall it has been a very rewarding experience for all.
Listen to RealAudio recording
Introduction; Gillian's background working for Lambeth LEA; Appointment
to Foresters School; Background to the creation of the Opportunity
Base; . Length 9 minutes 34 seconds.
- History of the Opportunity Base continued; Initial Problems; Ofsted Inspection; Support of Parents;. Length 5 minutes 24 seconds.
- Inclusion at Foresters; Building the base; Seamless integration; . Length 6 minutes 31 seconds.
- Staffing levels; role of the classroom assistants and teachers; planning and adapting teaching methods and activities; . Length: 5 minutes 56 seconds.
- Tolerance and changing attitudes; Non-teaching integration. School life; Reverse Integration; Length: 10 minutes 2 seconds.
