Ofsted says special needs used too widely

[mistersandman]

Thousands of pupils are being wrongly labelled as having special educational needs when all they require is better teaching and support, Ofsted says.

The watchdog said up to a quarter of pupils in England identified as having special needs would not be labelled as such if schools focused more on teaching for all their children.

It said the term "special needs" was used too widely.

The National Union of Teachers said such claims were "insulting and wrong".

More than a fifth of school-age students in England have been diagnosed with some form of special educational need (SEN), which range from physical disabilities to emotional and behavioural problems.

( Click for full article. )

The number of state and private special schools in England has fallen from 1,197 in 2000 to 1,054 in 2010.

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I've no idea what it's like to go to school in England.  Perhaps some lines need to be drawn.  345 students isn't what I would call a comprehensive population sample.