During discussion in the States Assembly last month about special educational needs, Sally Rochester suggested ‘a radical rethink’ was needed in response to escalating demand and rising costs.
Education president Paul Montague believed that was unnecessary and claimed that changes made previously meant that local schools already had the right approach.
‘When we’ve looked at what the Labour government in England is attempting to roll out, it has actually been pre-empted by what we’re already doing on the island with our high-quality, inclusive practice,’ said Deputy Montague.
‘This is a new training programme to enable all our teachers to have universal provision in every classroom which is accessible to everyone no matter their need.
‘I think Education attempted to roll out this programme too quickly and we’ve had to slow it down, but the feedback we’re getting from people in classrooms is that this programme is working.
‘I don’t think we need a radical rethink. I think Guernsey is ahead of the game in this, as we are, fortunately, in one or two areas across education.’
He was facing questions from other States members after making an early appeal for more money next year to deal with increasing demand from children with special educational needs.
Figures provided subsequently, in response to questions submitted by the Guernsey Press, showed that the number of pupils in special schools rose by 30% over the past 10 years, although at the same time there was a 22% decrease in the number of children with additional needs in mainstream schools.
Much of the cost pressure is understood to be coming from growth in the proportion of pupils with more complex needs.
In Jersey, it was recently reported that the annual cost of supporting children with special educational needs had more than doubled in real terms since 2021, from £17.2m. to £37.8m.
Changes announced last month in the UK will reduce the number of taxpayer-funded places in private special schools and take hundreds of thousands of children off legal plans setting out their additional needs. Ministers have said the changes will make schools more inclusive and limit escalating costs.
The UK experience showed the high cost of dealing with special educational needs as a ‘bolt on to mainstream education’, according to Deputy Rochester.
‘As a parent of two children diagnosed with ADHD, I know the high quality educational support they will receive is beneficial not only to them but to all students,’ she said.
‘Those interventions make education more accessible, enjoyable and fulfilling. I struggle with the idea that our mainstream students wouldn’t benefit from that same support.’
Deputy Montague said she had raised an ‘incredibly intriguing’ issue but was proposing an approach already adopted locally.
‘We’re trying to enable our incredibly hard-working teachers and support staff to treat every individual as an individual, to know that young person and teach them in a way which fits where they’re coming from and their capabilities,’ he said.
Deputy Montague added that there was also a need to be ‘really, really cautious about labelling and diagnosis’ of additional needs in children.