0:00:02 > 0:00:05We've now had 16 years of mainstream education
0:00:05 > 0:00:09for children with disabilities in Scotland,
0:00:09 > 0:00:13after decades of struggle for a more equal society.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Where at all possible, it's now presumed
0:00:17 > 0:00:20a child with a disability will go to a mainstream school.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25The ethos of Scottish education is an inclusive ethos.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28It's about making sure that every child is able to be involved
0:00:28 > 0:00:30in the life and the work of the school,
0:00:30 > 0:00:31and the educational experience.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34But are their needs really being met?
0:00:35 > 0:00:38I was constantly running out of classes.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42There was just lots of little problems
0:00:42 > 0:00:44that were happening all the time.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49It's just that I like being classed as normal.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54I'm encouraged to do most of the work myself,
0:00:54 > 0:00:56which is good.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59The opportunity for me to talk to other pupils
0:00:59 > 0:01:04using my communication device doesn't happen very often.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Sometimes it can get quite lonely.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11One in five children in Scotland
0:01:11 > 0:01:14is identified as having an additional support need.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Does mainstreaming mean real inclusion,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20or are we letting them drift to the back of the class?
0:01:31 > 0:01:33I'm Ian Hamilton,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35and I've come to the Royal National College for the Blind
0:01:35 > 0:01:38in Hereford, where I was a student.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41- Ian.- Lucy.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Good morning, welcome back to RNC.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45- It's a long time since I've been here.- I bet it is, yes.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47So how long's it been now?
0:01:48 > 0:01:49I was here in the early '80s,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51just to make myself seem really old.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53I'm sure it's changed quite a lot since then.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56It's changed enormously since then, yeah.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58It's going to be quite interesting showing you around, in that case.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01- I'll tell you some tales! - I bet you will!
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Where do you want me to go?
0:02:03 > 0:02:06- Shall I take your left arm, is that OK?- Yeah, that's absolutely perfect.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08- Thank you.- OK, and I'll take you into Gardner Hall to start with.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11- Oh, Gardner Hall, OK.- This is the main entrance to the college.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Back in the '80s, when I was here, I had a little bit of sight.
0:02:16 > 0:02:17I'm now completely blind.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21The layout has changed a bit since my student days.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24That was the girls' hostel, down there.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27- I was never in there, of course. - Of course, of course!
0:02:27 > 0:02:28I can believe that.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Where are we now, then, Lucy?
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Just coming up to what's now the main building,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35so this wasn't here at all in your time.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37I don't know if there's many students here any more.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39No, we're down to 85 students now, at the moment.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42- Oh, there were over 300 when I was here.- Yeah, huge change.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44It's down to the funding, essentially.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45There's still demand to come here,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48but people can't get the funding to get their places.
0:02:48 > 0:02:49So, is it expensive to come here?
0:02:49 > 0:02:51It can look it, on the face of it,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53but not when you really take into account
0:02:53 > 0:02:54the full cost of the education.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56So, here, the students get absolutely everything,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59it's 24/7, it's full terms,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02residential provision, round-the-clock support.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05And they're teaching off-timetable, as well,
0:03:05 > 0:03:07so on the weekends, on the evenings,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09there's lots of activities for people to get involved in.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13We don't use learning support assistants in the classrooms,
0:03:13 > 0:03:14so our students learn independently,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17cos our approach is you've got to be ready for work,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20you've got to be ready for higher education, and you can't do that
0:03:20 > 0:03:22if you're used to having somebody sit next to you in the classroom
0:03:22 > 0:03:24who's between you and what's going on.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27So that's a philosophy of the organisation, being independent?
0:03:27 > 0:03:31- Yeah.- You're training people to be the best blind person they can be,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- a professional blind person, if you like.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Many things have changed since my days,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41but the ethos remains the same.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45The college is not just about academic goals.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50It's about acquiring skills for independent living and working,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52and the college is ambitious for its students.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57They have to find their way around their local community,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59they have to have the social confidence
0:03:59 > 0:04:01and resilience to self-advocate,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03and they have to, you know, the difficulty we find
0:04:03 > 0:04:06with some of our students who come from mainstream
0:04:06 > 0:04:08is they've been overly supported within mainstream.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10The focus has been on academic achievement,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13and it's not been on about developing them as a person.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18I was with a student yesterday who, before he came to RNC,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20didn't switch on a computer himself,
0:04:20 > 0:04:25a teaching assistant did that for him and did the work for him.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Now, I think it's shameful that he's been through an education system
0:04:29 > 0:04:31that hasn't thought about how to make sure
0:04:31 > 0:04:33that he is independently learning,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35that he is able to do these things for himself,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38cos in the workplace, he's going to have to do that.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40We're working on that now, and we'll put that right for him,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and he will be fully independent by the time he finishes at RNC.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47So, today we are going to have a look
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- at the little route to the stairs. - Yeah.- OK.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Thomas is in his first term at the RNC.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57He came from a mainstream school,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01where he was the only pupil with a visual impairment.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03He's studying for three A-levels.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06But one of the first things he's learning
0:05:06 > 0:05:08is how to get about the campus by himself.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13OK, and tuck in right over to the right wall for me.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Yeah. That's the rail up the stairs?
0:05:15 > 0:05:16It is, yeah.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Just keep yourself tucked in for me,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21because if anybody else is coming down those stairs,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23we need them to have the room, as well.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- OK.- Do you want to try going up the stairs?
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Yes, OK.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31So, what kind of skills are you getting here, Thomas,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34that maybe you struggled to get elsewhere?
0:05:34 > 0:05:35Independent living skills...
0:05:37 > 0:05:38..mobility,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41help to be able to travel around independently
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and live independently.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45So, just keep walking forward for me.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Do you think, you know, having other impaired people at this college,
0:05:48 > 0:05:49what's that been like?
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Has that been important to you, that peer group?
0:05:51 > 0:05:55It's important, because we're all going through the same thing.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Because at school, I had so much support that I was kind of...
0:05:59 > 0:06:02really didn't have that many close friends.
0:06:02 > 0:06:08If your entire mainstream experience is beside an adult
0:06:08 > 0:06:12who is with you through all your timetable activities,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15you're not going to have the opportunities
0:06:15 > 0:06:18to socialise with people around you that your peers have.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20If, at the end of the day,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23you're escorted from the school back to your family,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26that social network isn't there for you,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28so often, the young person will spend a lot,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30too much time on their own.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Especially at the age... from 15, 16 upwards,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38their social group diminishes, and they're often left isolated.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41So you talk about taking people from their community,
0:06:41 > 0:06:42we're all about making sure
0:06:42 > 0:06:45people are fully engaged with their community.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48So everything we do, everything we provide for our students
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and our transitions team, and through sport, is about making sure
0:06:51 > 0:06:54they participate fully in their community.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56At a mainstream school,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00it can be difficult to be included in sport if you have a disability.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04These facilities can be a big draw for students.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06I remember when I was at school, Lucy,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I had the worst sight, so I always thought I wasn't very good
0:07:09 > 0:07:11because I couldn't see.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13It was only when I came here I realised, actually,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16I'm just not very good and my sight had nothing to do with it!
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Many education providers tend to risk assess people
0:07:22 > 0:07:23out of sporting activities,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27whereas our ethos is about risk assessing people in,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30making sure they participate fully in all parts of the programme.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34So, this'll be the first time a lot of them will get a chance to play football.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Oops! I've got it. I should have flicked it into there,
0:07:37 > 0:07:38would've been a great shot!
0:07:43 > 0:07:45See, this is what happens if you don't eat your greens!
0:07:47 > 0:07:48A former student,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51too much drink, this is what happens to you!
0:07:51 > 0:07:54We're going to be going into our complementary therapy classroom.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57This is a hugely popular course for the younger students,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00but also for the adult trainees going into employment.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03One of the things people don't realise about a course like this
0:08:03 > 0:08:05is there's a lot of business admin that goes into it as well,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08you've got to have really good computer skills to do complementary therapy
0:08:08 > 0:08:11cos you've got to be able to understand a huge range of things,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14from the human body through to how you're going to keep your books,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16how you're going to run your business.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- And the social, those soft skills as well.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Customer service, client care, absolutely critical.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Oh, right.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27When I was at primary school,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29I was the only person with poor sight there.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32When I was at the school for mixed disabilities, again,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34I was the person with the worst sight there,
0:08:34 > 0:08:35so to come here and find a community
0:08:35 > 0:08:37that was geared just to visual impairment
0:08:37 > 0:08:39was really important to me.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42And for the first time ever, I had a peer group,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45a peer group that I could understand and they could understand me.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51I think that special schools do a great job, but arguably,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54they isolate disabled people from the rest of society.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59If we want our world to be truly inclusive,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02surely all being at the same school is fundamental.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06If you put people in special schools,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08are you not just hiding them away?
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Out of sight, out of mind.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Up until 1974, here in Scotland,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19children with a disability had no legal right to an education,
0:09:19 > 0:09:24although most deaf or blind children did attend a special school.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30In the 1970s, campaigning started in earnest.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Disabled people wanted the right to a full life.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37David Barnett has a severe physical handicap,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39which hides an active and enquiring mind.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Here at the New Trinity Centre in Edinburgh,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44he works in a sheltered workshop,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46where he's able to talk to his workmates and instructors
0:09:46 > 0:09:49with the aid of a head pointer, a board of symbols,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52and a bit of imagination from his friends.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Through the '80s and '90s,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58the disability movement started to get a bit of traction.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59They wanted to see change,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03and one of the big changes they wanted to see was in education.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05They believed that the quality of education
0:10:05 > 0:10:07for people with disabilities was poor,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09and it was limiting opportunities.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12In 1995,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16it became illegal to discriminate against someone with a disability.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18And in the year 2000,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21the presumption to mainstream education for disabled people
0:10:21 > 0:10:23became law in Scotland.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28The thinking was, it would give better academic opportunities
0:10:28 > 0:10:30for children with additional support needs,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33as well as removing the stigma of a special education.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Simply, what a right-thinking society should be doing.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42The ethos of Scottish education is an inclusive ethos.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44It's about making sure that every child
0:10:44 > 0:10:47is able to be involved in the life and the work of the school
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and the educational experience, and that they're fulfilled
0:10:50 > 0:10:53as a consequence of that interaction.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54And that's got to be delivered
0:10:54 > 0:10:56for absolutely every single child in Scotland.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Right, let's get you up to English.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07Ella is in her first term at a busy Glasgow mainstream secondary school.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11She needs daily medical support, but is clearly thriving.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14My first year has been really amazing.
0:11:14 > 0:11:20I've had a good transition from primary to secondary.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23And what about the other students, what are they like?
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Some of the other students are very nice.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30And I...
0:11:30 > 0:11:34I get on really well with quite a lot of the students.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35Have you got new friends here, though?
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- Yes.- Right.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39- Quite a lot of new friends, actually.- Have you?
0:11:39 > 0:11:42In comparison to what I had in primary.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44It's very busy here, though, isn't it?
0:11:44 > 0:11:45Yeah, it's...
0:11:45 > 0:11:47It's relatively busy here.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48How do you cope with that?
0:11:48 > 0:11:51I think it's OK.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55The rush, sometimes there's, like, a big rush.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00Like, children in a big rush, effectively.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04So, what classes can't you do?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I can pretty much do all the classes.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09What about PE?
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Not so much PE, but I do the music in PE sometimes.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15- You have somebody to give you a wee hand, don't you?- Yes.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18What's it like having them with you all the time,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20or don't you have them all the time?
0:12:20 > 0:12:21Not in all periods.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23I'm encouraged to do...
0:12:25 > 0:12:27..most of the work myself.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Right.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30Which is good.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Would you like to go to a special school, or are you quite happy here?
0:12:33 > 0:12:34I'm quite happy here, actually.
0:12:36 > 0:12:37Ella has an assistant,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40but is encouraged to be as independent as possible.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45But not everyone is having such a positive experience.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47The Duggans live in Elgin.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50They have three children with additional support needs.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Caitlin is ten, and has cerebral palsy.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Her brothers, Ali, who's seven, and Jake, who's three,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00have behavioural problems linked to autism.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Caitlin is doing well in mainstream, but it's not working for Ali.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10I do think there's kids that need more than mainstream.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13In what way?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Needs-wise, sometimes they just can't cater
0:13:16 > 0:13:18for kids with extra needs.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22There's not enough support, there's not enough time, funding.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Some kids can't cope with classroom noise level.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32And I think a more specialty school would be a better option.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35There is some kids that do need
0:13:35 > 0:13:37just one-to-one support to be able to learn,
0:13:37 > 0:13:42if they're not able to learn as part of a group for whatever reason,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44and in mainstream school, it's just not possible
0:13:44 > 0:13:46to have that all the time.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49And I would hope, certainly,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52that a special school would be able to offer that.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57As is common in small, rural local authority areas,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59there are no special schools in Moray.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Ali is often excluded, or on a restricted timetable.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07We're very concerned about how much he's missed.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I mean, the amount of time that he was excluded from school last year.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12And just put in the base
0:14:12 > 0:14:15with kind of no education input from a teacher, as well.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18It's just...it's not good. And, I mean...
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I...I think that the only thing that you can genuinely say
0:14:22 > 0:14:25he learned at school last year was how to make a cheesecake,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28which is great for me cos I like cheesecake,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30but it's not so great for him later on down the line,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32when he's trying to get a job or whatever,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34if he's struggling with basic reading and writing.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Do you find, does he get excluded?
0:14:36 > 0:14:38He used to get excluded quite a lot.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43He would flip bookshelves, tables,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46and just cause disturbances in the class.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49He'd hit his teacher, or his helper.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52- Very threatening, as well.- Yeah.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Threatened to stab people with his pencil, and things like that.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- That must be upsetting for other children, though?- Yes.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03It's led to his class being evacuated a few times.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07How do other parents react to you, or him?
0:15:09 > 0:15:10Not well.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13No. He's the bad child, basically.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17He was desperate that a friend of his would come to play,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20and he came running up to him in the playground,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22and the mum was very dismissive of him.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25She seemed just not to want her child
0:15:25 > 0:15:29to associate with the disruptive one.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Which I guess I can understand on the one hand,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34- but for a wee boy... - It's hard, isn't it?
0:15:34 > 0:15:36It's very hard, cos he just wants to play with his pals.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40What fears do you have for the future, in terms of education?
0:15:42 > 0:15:44I just want him to have a normal education.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47A normal life, to feel included.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Cos they know when they're not included,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and it hurts deeply, doesn't it? Especially Ali.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Yeah. I'm trying to explain to...to a seven-year-old
0:15:55 > 0:15:58why all the other kids in his class are getting to do something
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and he's not. Or...
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Why other kids go round to other kids' houses to play,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and he never gets invited.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Trying to explain that to a young child, it's just impossible.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12There's no way of doing that.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18With autism twice as prevalent as it was even ten years ago,
0:16:18 > 0:16:19Ali is an example of
0:16:19 > 0:16:23how mainstreaming can be problematic for all involved.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28There are organisations that support these families
0:16:28 > 0:16:30who cannot cope with mainstream.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33And one of these is Kindred, run by Sophie Pilgrim.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Our organisation works with...
0:16:37 > 0:16:40This year, we'll probably work with 1,000 families,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and we see that there are children who just...
0:16:44 > 0:16:47You know, they can't... They're not going to manage in mainstream,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50so children with very challenging behaviour,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53who might be a risk to themselves or other children.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Children with very high-level anxiety...
0:16:57 > 0:17:00..or children with very high-level medical needs,
0:17:00 > 0:17:06there's small numbers of children who can't be educated in mainstream,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08as mainstream is at present.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13A report by the Children's Hospice Association
0:17:13 > 0:17:16shows that recent advances in medicine mean
0:17:16 > 0:17:18that more premature babies are surviving.
0:17:18 > 0:17:24This survival often means multiple disabilities for these children.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Between 2010 and 2014,
0:17:28 > 0:17:33their numbers in Scotland rose from 12,000 to 15,000.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39To have thousands more children with complex needs
0:17:39 > 0:17:42for local authorities to cope with,
0:17:42 > 0:17:47each child has a very, very significant package of care,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51so educating a child with very complex needs
0:17:51 > 0:17:53is a huge cost to local authorities.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56And those children will be...
0:17:56 > 0:17:59They have to be educated in specialist provision,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02with a very high level of medical support.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05So I do think there's a pattern
0:18:05 > 0:18:08where you've got more and more complex children in special schools,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12and the children who maybe had challenging behaviour,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15who might have previously got specialist support
0:18:15 > 0:18:17are moving more into mainstream.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22For these children who can't cope in mainstream,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25one alternative is The New School at Butterstone in Perthshire.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32The school caters for children with a range of additional support needs
0:18:32 > 0:18:34and many are on the autistic spectrum.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41Duncan recently moved to the school from his mainstream secondary.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45I was constantly running out of classes.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49There was just lots of little problems
0:18:49 > 0:18:50that were happening all the time.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53So what happens here that's different, then,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55that does meet your needs?
0:18:55 > 0:18:57The teachers are a lot more understanding.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00There's a lot more staff as well.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01As well as...
0:19:01 > 0:19:04I'm doing the subjects that I'd like to do.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08Like what?
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Science, and I'm doing outdoor work,
0:19:12 > 0:19:16which involves just all sorts of different things outside,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20like cutting grass, planting plants, pruning trees.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22You said to me earlier on, at your old school,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25you used to get frustrated, and get angry.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Does that happen as much here as it did before?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Most definitely not.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Dramatically different. Dramatically, much different.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33And why is that?
0:19:33 > 0:19:36It's just, it's a lot more calmer here,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39and everybody's a lot nicer and a lot more calm.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43This school does not come cheap.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46The student places are funded,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48either by the local authority or their parents.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51But the head teacher, Chris Holmes,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54believes that this kind of education is essential
0:19:54 > 0:19:57to stop children falling through the cracks.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02It is not possible for a mainstream school to cater for everybody.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Where somebody can be in mainstream and succeed,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07then that's great.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09But it's not just enough
0:20:09 > 0:20:12for children to be in mainstream and not succeed.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14We need to have the success,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17they need to have the success to be able to move forward,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20so that's why schools like The New School
0:20:20 > 0:20:23and some of our colleague schools are necessary.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27It can be difficult for an autistic child to learn
0:20:27 > 0:20:29in the hustle and bustle of mainstream.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31But with modern accessible buildings,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33and additional support staff,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37many physical disabilities are no longer a barrier.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Bobath is a support and therapy centre
0:20:43 > 0:20:46for children and teenagers with cerebral palsy.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Most of these students are attending a mainstream school,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53but that doesn't always mean they feel fully included.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55I need to have a pupil support worker with me,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57and I don't like that at all.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00They've basically taken away half my independence,
0:21:00 > 0:21:01with this pupil support worker,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04because they've got to go everywhere with me now.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05I'm not allowed to do anything,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07I'm not allowed to walk down the stairs
0:21:07 > 0:21:09because it's health and safety risks.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11I'm not allowed to use the lift myself,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14I've got to have somebody in the lift with myself.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16So I've got to wait for somebody to come in to get me from class
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and take me down the lift to my other class,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21and sometimes it's resulted in me being
0:21:21 > 0:21:2310, 15 minutes late to my other class.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26So I've missed out on that 10, 15 minutes of work.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32I attend a mainstream school.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35The school has been really supportive of me,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and have included me as much as possible.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41They have gone out of their way to accommodate for my needs,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43as much as they can.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Sometimes, this is not always possible,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48as the school has hundreds of other pupils,
0:21:48 > 0:21:53and at the moment, I'm the only one with a physical disability.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58However, the social aspect of school is not great for me.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01The opportunity for me to talk to other pupils
0:22:01 > 0:22:05using my communication device doesn't happen very often,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08so it is hard for me to form friendships.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Sometimes, it can get quite lonely.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Today, this group of teenagers are meeting up
0:22:18 > 0:22:21to talk about their plans for when they leave school.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25How important is it for you to meet up with your peer group?
0:22:26 > 0:22:27Yeah. Cos...
0:22:27 > 0:22:31Yes, I like to do it, cos... Not every day, you get to see people
0:22:31 > 0:22:33that's got the same difficulties as you.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36We can teach each other how to do stuff.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Do you ever feel you maybe wish you'd gone to a special school?
0:22:39 > 0:22:41No, not at all.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44- Why?- Because I like my school.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48I like being classed as normal,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51whereas if you go to a special education school,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55they'd class you as... Oh, aye, you have this special disability,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58and you need 24-hour care or whatever. Whereas I don't need that,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01I'm perfectly capable to do whatever I want myself.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05What plans do you have, Gavin, for when you leave school?
0:23:11 > 0:23:13I plan to go to university.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18I'm interested in doing sports science or sports management.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23Also, I participate in a disability sport called RaceRunning,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26and I would like to see how far it takes me.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Some of these films are great, aren't they?
0:23:30 > 0:23:31Have you ever seen Happy Feet?
0:23:31 > 0:23:35The language of inclusion and exclusion around that is incredible,
0:23:35 > 0:23:36isn't it, how they've got the language?
0:23:36 > 0:23:39They've got it right off, right in the heart of it.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40Cos he hasn't got the song, has he?
0:23:40 > 0:23:42He can't do the singing, but he can dance.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44he's got a whole other kind of gift going on.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49This is a workshop designed to help children with additional support needs
0:23:49 > 0:23:52to be better included into a mainstream school.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55So this is the stuff we want to be feeding our children,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57alongside the reality stuff.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Colin Newton, who describes himself
0:24:00 > 0:24:02as a recovering educational psychologist,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06believes it is always possible to create a supportive environment.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08I would say,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10no matter what the label is,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12what the condition is, what the difficulty is,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15we should start with inclusion. The right to be present,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18to participate, to contribute, that's where it begins,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20whatever the child or young person's difficulties might be.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23And then we just get creative, we build the team,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25we do the problem-solving, we get the resources,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28the right resources in place for that person,
0:24:28 > 0:24:29and then we figure it out.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32And I've seen some of the most profound difficulties
0:24:32 > 0:24:34being included very successfully.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38But what is the reality of teaching a class
0:24:38 > 0:24:42where there's a variety of children with additional support needs?
0:24:42 > 0:24:46I think at this point in time, there are real issues
0:24:46 > 0:24:49with the resourcing of additional support needs.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54It's not that teachers and schools don't want inclusion to work.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56What I hear in my current job
0:24:56 > 0:24:59is that teachers really do want to be inclusive,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01they want to have a comprehensive system
0:25:01 > 0:25:04that supports every youngster.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06But what they're finding at the moment is
0:25:06 > 0:25:08there aren't just the resources to do so.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Whether it is bodies on the ground,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13whether it's appropriate training for staff,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15it makes it more difficult
0:25:15 > 0:25:19to make the Additional Support Needs Act work in that way.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23When one in five children in Scotland have additional support needs,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26it's extraordinary that the teaching qualification
0:25:26 > 0:25:29does not include any formal training in this area.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35I do think that there is a problem with the level of teacher expertise
0:25:35 > 0:25:38in additional support needs in Scotland.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41I think sometimes, people thought that if you had inclusion,
0:25:41 > 0:25:45it would work automatically, just having children with their peers.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48But you do need to have specialist staff,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50as well as generic teaching staff.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53It sounds to me like we're sitting on a time bomb here, aren't we?
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Well, I do think that we are going to have to have a reassessment
0:25:57 > 0:26:00of how inclusive schools are staffed,
0:26:00 > 0:26:05and how children with additional support needs are supported.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Because just simply identifying a child
0:26:07 > 0:26:09as having additional support needs
0:26:09 > 0:26:12doesn't automatically mean that that child is going to get
0:26:12 > 0:26:15the support they need to flourish in schools.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Mainstreaming sounds like a great idea,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21but if it's failing some children,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23is it nothing more than a social experiment?
0:26:25 > 0:26:29Philosophically, I remain absolutely committed to mainstreaming,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31but I also remain committed to making sure
0:26:31 > 0:26:33that we get it right for every child.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37And mainstreaming will not work for every single child in our system,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40and we have to make sure the needs of every child are met
0:26:40 > 0:26:42by our education system.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44And that's the principle to which I'm committed.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Is it time, then, to review this presumption to mainstream?
0:26:48 > 0:26:53We gave a commitment to review the guidance around mainstreaming
0:26:53 > 0:26:57within the education system, and we're going to do that,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01and we'll do that with a wide consultation involving stakeholders
0:27:01 > 0:27:06to make sure we have a proper sense of the needs of young people
0:27:06 > 0:27:11at this stage after the passage of time that has gone on
0:27:11 > 0:27:14since the establishment of the mainstreaming principle.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18And to make sure we have in place the proper and full and appropriate
0:27:18 > 0:27:21arrangements that will meet the needs of those young people.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23So that review will be undertaken,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26it'll be undertaken in an open and participative way
0:27:26 > 0:27:28to make sure the government hears
0:27:28 > 0:27:31exactly the experience of young people and their families,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and that we can act accordingly to address those issues.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40I and other disabled people fought hard to get to where we are now.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44We wanted a better education, more opportunities,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and to be included in mainstream society.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52One of the ideas behind mainstreaming children with disabilities
0:27:52 > 0:27:54was to try and improve their prospects.
0:27:54 > 0:27:59In the year 2000, the employment rate for disabled people was 40%.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Today, it's 41%.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05It's only one measurement,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09but it makes me question how much society has changed
0:28:09 > 0:28:13over the last 16 years, since mainstreaming was introduced.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17In my view, a child's education
0:28:17 > 0:28:20cannot be based on a philosophical dogma.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22It's too important.