I was out for my daily walk yesterday and I decided to tune into the Weekend Woman's Hour session on the SEND system. The SEND system is the UK name for the Special Educational Needs and Disability System and this podcast was a recording of a panelist discussion on the current state on the SEND system in the UK.
The concensus was that the SEND system is broken and I think that sentiment would be echoed in many other countries across the globe. The notion that the education system is a one size fits all structure is not a new conclusion. With the rise in neurodivergence diagnoses, it is being felt more so today.
One of the panellists was a mum of a son with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). Her son is currently in mainstream school and he is really struggling because the school cannot accomodate for all his needs and that is affecting his mental health to the point that his mum is worried about sending her son to school each day. She states "I feel like I am putting him through this in a way" and that statement really hit home. School is supposed to be a place where every child goes to get an education and to have a social experience. Every child. Yet so many parents are worried everyday about sending their children in to school for various reasons. Some of those reasons are due to their children being different, some are because of the social environment or culture of the school, some are because the educational style doesn't seem to be working for the child. Whether the child is struggling with educational demands, social experiences, or environmental demands this over a long period of time starts to affect the child's mental health. Child mental health statistics are not in good shape. Depression, anxiety is on the rise, suicidality is at an all time high in teenagers. This is scary stuff!
School is the one place every child is required to go everyday. What do you do as a parents when you feel like you are putting your kids through a system that isn't working for your child and is in turn making them sick? School is supposed to be a safe place. Of my three children, one had to leave school early. She spent one year at a specialised school and then despite trying other schools, opted to homeschool as this was the best option for her. It wasn't an easy decision and she has missed out on a lot of the social aspects of being at school but they were the things that weren't working for her either. She has now just finished school (a year early) with the grades and credits she needed to be accepted into a teritary institute. The school system didn't work for her either but she is doing okay now. My other two are still navigating the school system and it is going okay so far for them. I don't have any fixes or a one size fits all solution as I don't think there are any. All we can do is make choices that are best for our children and our families and keep telling our stories as collectively we can influence change.
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