early years schooling
Sep 25th 2008, 7:23 pm
#61
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 176
Re: early years schooling
Personally I worked with preschool children in a playgroup setting in Scotland and the amount of stuff you're expected to cover with children as young as 2.5 yrs and up in riddiculous, I think we would gain more by letting children play and explore things rather than be "taught" at this young age. The other thing I think British schooling fails in is supporting children with learning difficulties - My son as many of you know has Aspergers syndrome and was given very little help other than some great teachers looking out for him.
Here in Canada from day 1 he had a educational assistant to assist him in class in what ever way he needed. I now work as an educational assistant and love helping children like my son knowing that in the UK this help isn't there, so many of these children have no chance of success in school so what hope do they have when they leave. Here my son has a future!
Fiona
Here in Canada from day 1 he had a educational assistant to assist him in class in what ever way he needed. I now work as an educational assistant and love helping children like my son knowing that in the UK this help isn't there, so many of these children have no chance of success in school so what hope do they have when they leave. Here my son has a future!
Fiona
Guess it just depends and again I think looking into to every school in and around the area is important, as they seem to vary a great deal.
Sep 25th 2008, 7:26 pm
#62
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 176
Re: early years schooling
I am glad your son receives the help he needs in your province. Generalising that "Canada" provides better special education support than the UK is, with respect, very misleading. If you were here in my area of BC, your son would get nothing at all in terms of support, because an Aspergers diagnosis does not mean extra TA hours. What it often means here is social isolation for the child and unrealistic expectations and demands from the school that the parent be on call to deal with every little issue arising with the child. I attended a school based care team meeting recently, the attendees at which questioned whether a child had Aspergers at all. The meeting blamed the parents for the child's behaviour and demanded that the parent come to school every day with the child, or he could stay at home. 
Friends in the UK have two children with diagnoses on the ASD spectrum. They report a level of support and resources we could only dream of here in my area of BC.
Friends in the UK have two children with diagnoses on the ASD spectrum. They report a level of support and resources we could only dream of here in my area of BC.
Sep 25th 2008, 7:29 pm
#63
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,019
Re: early years schooling
FWIW my special needs child always had a TA, none of them had any related training. This was in Ontario.
Sep 25th 2008, 9:45 pm
#66
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Alberta
Posts: 660
Re: early years schooling
Am I the only one that thinks it's kinda clever that the ad at the bottom of this page is for 'Autistic Schools UK'...?
Anyway, I digress. Surely the point is that schools and kids vary as much in the UK as in Canada, and so does TA/LSA support for sn kids?
FWIW, it would appear to me that Alberta has a more robust assessment procedure in Kindergarten to identify SEN and apply funding, than anywhere I have come across in the postcode lottery/ begging letter to the LEA UK. I am now ticked that we didn't know this before, as our TWP is now too late to catch kindergarten! :curse:
That's if we make it through the excessive demand hurdle, though (thanks for the 'highlights' Biiiink, btw - watching closely!) - and that would be the argument c/o the same child that has just entered yr R and come home with a stage 10 reading book. Must've had a good role model, eh, Butch?
(I'm also checking wildly to see if I was the LSA that was a liability during science lessons - in spite of my university education! Some of us aren't soooo bad, honest.)
Anyway, I digress. Surely the point is that schools and kids vary as much in the UK as in Canada, and so does TA/LSA support for sn kids?
FWIW, it would appear to me that Alberta has a more robust assessment procedure in Kindergarten to identify SEN and apply funding, than anywhere I have come across in the postcode lottery/ begging letter to the LEA UK. I am now ticked that we didn't know this before, as our TWP is now too late to catch kindergarten! :curse:
That's if we make it through the excessive demand hurdle, though (thanks for the 'highlights' Biiiink, btw - watching closely!) - and that would be the argument c/o the same child that has just entered yr R and come home with a stage 10 reading book. Must've had a good role model, eh, Butch?
(I'm also checking wildly to see if I was the LSA that was a liability during science lessons - in spite of my university education! Some of us aren't soooo bad, honest.)
Sep 26th 2008, 12:02 am
#67
Professional Cat herder
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: TORONTO- yay!!!
Posts: 5,707
Re: early years schooling
I never saw any of my TAs as a liabilty just woefully under trained
That's why we started the practical skills courses
They all wanted to help it is just that some didn't know how
That's why we started the practical skills courses
They all wanted to help it is just that some didn't know how
Sep 26th 2008, 1:25 am
#68
Cynically amused.
Joined: Oct 2002
Location: BC
Posts: 3,648
Re: early years schooling
I surprised by your comments. I taught in both the UK and in BC. The majority of Educational Assistants in the UK in my Experience were not professional at all. The majority had almost no qualifications to speak of - many not even GCSE's. They are paid a terrible salary - I think 7 pounds an hour. There was one at my school that did not know to capitalise the word I when used as a pronoun. Although some may have been good with the children they possessed no knowledge of special needs. Likewise the special needs teachers also lacked any real training. In the Lowermainland, on the other hand most EA's have special training (2 years post secondary - I believe) in special needs. They are also paid $22.50 an hour to reflect this training. The teachers in charge usually have a Masters degree or additional training in special ed. Also, the ratio of EA's to special needs children seems higher in BC than the UK.
Just my thoughts
Just my thoughts
Last edited by dingbat; Sep 26th 2008 at 2:23 am.
