One of the most disturbing examples of the pathetic state of journalism today appeared in the UK on June 14th during a talk show.
In the brief three minute discussion, three commentators gave their opinions about a current story in the UK Guardian revealing that over half a million students now have special needs plans in schools in England.
The reaction was unanimous. Parents are making up disabilities to get special treatment, and children are being pampered because there just couldn’t be so many disabled children.
I found this response outrageous.
The press has sat back and watched the number of disabled children everywhere explode over the past twenty-five years and pretended that nothing was really happening.
On a daily basis over in the U.K., the media reports on MORE DISABLED STUDENTS WITH MORE COMPLEX NEEDS without once asking where they’re coming from. The disinterest of the press has been monumental.
Now, faced with the ever-soaring numbers, these three blame parents!
I’m in America, but for over the past seven an a half years, I’ve cataloged what’s been happening in schools around the world on site called, Loss of Brain Trust. https://www.lossofbraintrust.com/
Instead of attacking parents who struggle daily with very disabled children, most notably those with autism, the people at GBNews need to get out and visit these schools and talk to parents, see what these children are like.
That is supposed to be their job.
GBN TV coverage: Parents WANT their kids to get special needs label because it excuses their BAD BEHAVIOUR
Three GBNews panelists discuss a recent article in the UK Guardian.
June 13, 2024, UK Guardian: New DfE figures reveal big jump in children requiring support, putting pressure on schools and councils
1st person reading from the story: ‘Record 576,000 pupils have special needs support plan in England,’ which is a lot.
‘The number of children and young people in England requiring support for special educational needs and disabilities has increased sharply.’
So we’ve now got local authorities who have now ‘issued 84,400 education, health and care plans (EHCPs) last year.’
And of course, it costs loads of money.
2nd person: So why the jump?
1st person: Great question.
2nd person: Are we living in an overdiagnostic culture?
1st person: I think we might be. That would be my suspicion.
It reminds me of when you go to the supermarket and there’s all those disability bays [parking spaces], and you think, really, are that many disability?
I’m not. I don’t know. It’s like it’s going up all the time.
2nd person: Why don’t they have some [disabled parking places] for actual disabled people, and then some lazy [spaces] for lazy people. Wouldn’t that work?
3rd person: That’s a great idea, and yet, considering a lot of this we were just talking about, the rise in people claiming a sickness, disability. They can’t all be sick. They can’t all—
2nd person: I mean some will be, right?
3rd person: Yeah, some, but we can’t have this, you know, it’d be weird if there’s suddenly this huge increase being genuinely sick.
But this whole special needs thing, basically you’ve got people who get money if there are special needs kids. They can suck all this money out of the system, out of the state, out of the taxpayer.
So they’re going to make more special needs kids so they can get more money.
2nd person: There’s more than that though as well. There’s also parents who like to have their kids diagnosed with this stuff because it excuses why they’re so badly behaved. It also gives them extra time at exams.
I taught at a very posh school, and what you find is, posh parents who could afford these private doctors [who] would diagnose their kids with these elaborate things, and then they would get—
It would just really benefit them in terms of exam time, in terms of tolerance.
I had one parent who got their kid diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder because someone cut a bit of her hair off at a party.
I’m like, you weren’t in Vietnam.
3rd person: How old was this kid?
2nd person: Like 12.
1st person: That makes me so sad for that child. That is not learning resilience. . . .
2nd person: I’m not saying that was a nice— I think that was bullying, but it’s not post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s just not.
1st person: I’m not saying that some of these cases aren’t valid, but what’s strange is, in this article, there’s no mention of the parents at all. It’s all about what the authorities can do.
That just makes me cringe. I don’t, well you know, you don’t want the authorities bringing up your child
3rd person: Well, it depends. A Chinese-style authority, you know, where they don’t get any of the special treatment.
2nd person: You think that would be good?
3rd person: They get whacked with a ruler or whatever.
2nd person: Bring back corporal punishment, that’s your message.
3rd person: It’s just a ruler.
2nd person: Yeah. I mean, I was thrashed at school, and I turned out really well.
I can’t image why people would falsely claim special needs students so ‘they can suck all this money out of the system, out of the state, out of the taxpayer.’
England is going broke because of the cost of special education.
These talk show staff members are trying to explain away the decline in the health of all of us today, especially when it comes to children.
If they were actually interested in honest reporting, they should look into all the stories in the British press on the dramatic increase in children with “complex needs,” and they wouldn’t have to look far.
These are examples just from the past two weeks from all over the U.K.
Northern Ireland
NI NewLetter: Education Minister Paul Givan: Entirely unacceptable that hundreds of SEN pupils still without school place for September
“We have seen an unprecedented rise in the number of children requiring specialist provision in recent years.
“To date, planning has been on an emergency footing.
“Quite simply demand has outstripped supply. . . .
“I had indicated when I took up post that there were around 1,000 children that didn’t have a place come September, that figure is now sitting at 400.
Belfast Telegraph: Survey of teachers lays bare challenges facing special education sector in Northern Ireland
A new survey has laid bare the challenges for the special education sector in Northern Ireland with virtually every respondent saying the number of children with complex needs has risen in their school.
Luton Today: More than 100 new special school places in Houghton Regis as part of £50million [$64M] investment
SE England
Up to 115 new special school places in Houghton Regis are set to be created.
The council says the extra places at Chiltern School will mean more children and young people with complex special educational needs including autism have access to specialist education closer to home. Previously, growth in demand for special school provision had resulted in increased placements within the independent sector and outside of the area.
BBC News: Ex-school's demolition to make way for new special school
N. England
A date for the demolition of a former school in Huddersfield has been set as plans to build a new special school in its place move forward.
The site will be the new home of Woodley School and College, which caters for students up to the age of 19 with complex autism. . . .
Essex Live: 'Extreme emergency' over Essex's SEND assessment backlog which is worst in England
SE England
Essex has the worst assessment backlog in England for assessing children for special needs and disability
Essex County Council has admitted to an “extreme emergency” after struggling to find a sufficient number of experts required to bring down its backlog - the worst in England- of children waiting to be assessed for SEND (special educational needs and disability). The council had earmarked just over £1 million [$1.3M] for recruiting enough extra educational psychologists to reduce the worst backlog in England.
Currently, only one per cent of SEND assessments are completed within a 20-week deadline – and there are more than 1,000 in the education, health and care plan (EHCP) needs assessment process. . . .
In 2016, Essex was responsible for 7,550 children and young people with an EHCP. In January 2024 the number had increased by 75 per cent to 13,228. In 2015-16 it received 1,638 requests for assessment compared to 3,986 in 2022-23 – up 143 per cent.
BBC News: Parents' three-year 'nightmare' over son's ADHD assessment
N. England
A boy with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is still waiting for an assessment for the condition three years after originally applying for one, his father has said.
Jack, 14, from Barnsley, who is non-verbal, was diagnosed with autism when he was 18 months old and as he got older he showed behaviour associated with ADHD.
BBC News: New special school will give 'best start in life'
E. England
A new school for children with special educational needs and disabilities has been backed by senior councillors.
The school for 190 children will be the first of its kind to be built in the Rochford district and was agreed by cabinet members on the Tory-run Essex County Council. . . .
According to cabinet reports, the DfE says Essex’s special schools are currently operating at “significantly beyond” their physical capacity.
It is estimated that by 2026, Essex will need an extra 612 special school places to meet the anticipated growth of children and young people with an education health care plan (EHCP) who need a special school place.
BBC News: New special educational needs units to be created
NW England
Two new special educational needs (SEN) units will be created in East Lancashire after the county council's cabinet approved the plans. . . .
Jacqui Old, Lancashire County Council's executive director of education and children's services, said: "The demand for specialist provision continues to increase and we are working hard to create and enhance existing provision so that we can fulfil our statutory duties." . . .
Herefords Times: Special needs adaptations planned at Hereford primary school
Central England
A quarter of a million pounds is to be spent adapting a Hereford primary school for pupils with special needs. . . .
The tender puts the value at £250,000 [$318K] and says it expects the successful bidder to carry out the work between July 17 and September 29 this year. . . .
“Demand continues to increase and additional capacity is urgently required,” with 150 extra specialist places likely to be needed over the next four years, the council said at the time.
Then in September the council approved spending of £2.4 million [$3M] of a government grant to extend the language and communication centre at Hereford’s Hampton Dene primary school, which helps children with autism spectrum disorders.
Time and Star: Proposal for more SEND school placements in Cumberland
NW England
Cumberland Council has tabled proposals to set up additional Resource Provision placements for children and youngsters with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across several local schools and academies.
The council presented the proposals today, with will see 58 additional placements, shining a light on the importance of them as demand for special needs education provision continues to increase in the area.
BBC News: Nottinghamshire: Family faces SEND delays despite progress claim
E. Midlands
A mother has said the impact of assessment delays in her son's special needs care have been "absolutely huge".
Vicky, from Nottinghamshire, is waiting for an education, health and care plan (EHCP) for autistic son Aiden, 11, before he starts secondary school. . . .
A local area inspection in 2023 by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission identified issues with children and young people having to wait too long to have their needs accurately assessed, in order to have an EHCP issued.
This meant that in Nottinghamshire, four out of five children were waiting longer than the government's target of 20 weeks, and some, with "particularly complex needs", were waiting about 37 weeks.
BBC News: Fight for son's school place 'a nightmare' – mum
S. England
A mother has described trying to get her five-year-old son a specialist school place as a "living nightmare".
Sam, from Chester, said the council had disagreed about her son Harrison's needs and placed him in a mainstream school.
The 39-year-old said the "fight" to get him a special education needs and disability (SEND) place was "taking its toll" on the family.
Cheshire West and Chester Council said there was more demand for specialist places than availability.
BBC News: New special school will give 'best start in life'
E. England
A new school for children with special educational needs and disabilities has been backed by senior councillors.
The school for 190 children will be the first of its kind to be built in the Rochford district and was agreed by cabinet members on the Tory-run Essex County Council. . . .
It is estimated that by 2026, Essex will need an extra 612 special school places to meet the anticipated growth of children and young people with an education health care plan (EHCP) who need a special school place.
BBC News: Autism care plans rise by nearly 400% since 2015
N. England
The number of under-25s with an autism care plan in North Yorkshire has risen by almost 400%, it has been revealed.
North Yorkshire Council said the significant increase had put the authority under "enormous pressure" to fund support for young people with special educational needs.
Autism is now the most common "primary need" in the county, a council report said.
It blamed a "spiralling" numbers of referrals and inadequate government funding for the situation.
It’s incredible to think that stories like this come out on a daily basis all over the country, and no one can see the big picture: the system will collapse because of ever-increasing numbers of sick and disabled children that have to be educated.