3,000 join fight to save school

yakub qureshi

February 11, 2009

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THOUSANDS of people have joined the battle to save a school for autistic children.

More than 3,000 people signed a petition to keep open Ewing School, in Didsbury. Council bosses want to shut the 70-pupil school because they believe autistic youngsters should mix with other pupils.

But parents say the school has 40 years' experience of teaching children with speech and learning difficulties and don't believe mainstream schools will do as good a job.

They also fear children will find their new schools too confusing and could be bullied. Ewing school teaches children aged five to 16 from around Manchester, most of whom have high-functioning autism, a condition which affects ability to communicate and relate to other people.

Under the proposal, the children would be taught alongside other children in nine mainstream primary and three secondary schools.

Currently, students at the Ewing are taught alongside children who are the same age but parents fear the children may be lumped together in larger classes with pupils of different ages if they are moved.

Parent Leslye Vaughan, whose five-year-old son Brandon is a pupil, said: "This is the only school in Manchester which deals with children with this condition and it does a great job. To close it is crazy."

Nearly 600 people have signed the online petition and a further 2,500 signatures have been gained through lobbying in Didsbury. Among those backing the parents are TV actor Max Beesley and former Coronation Street star Angela Griffin.

Education chiefs, who want to get more youngsters with special learning needs into regular schools in line with government guidance, say changes will allow parents to educate children locally.

Other plans include axing places at the Lancasterian school in Didsbury for pupils with physical disabilities and moving the school to Withington,

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ann-marie O'Reilly (13/02/2009 at 23:55)

this story really hit home as i have an two autistic children and would like to be kept up to date of what is happening to this school. I think that the school you wrote about is a speech, language and communication school first, which takes high functioning autistics

Dr Devon, St Peter's Square (02/03/2009 at 19:33)

Interesting to see that new academies are still being built but that specialist schools are no longer demmed to be economical. Once this school, with its expertise in speech and language disorders, is lost, it will be impossible to regain and the staff who focus on these particular difficulties will be thinly spread across the many schools in the city. If the city wants to adhere to national guidelines for inclusion, then they can introduce reciprocal visits with the local primary and comprehensive schools. Two way exchanges of this nature benefit children of all ages and abilities. It helps them to understand the nature of difference, of variety and diversity and it makes inclusion a living experience rather than paying lip service to a political notion. Children all have the right to styles of teaching and learning that are most appropriate to their educational needs. Teachers in mainstream schools may be sensitive to the needs of children with chronic speech and language difficulties but they may not have the skills to teach them in mainstream groups of 20 and over. I recommend that the school is kept open and that alllocal schools open their doors to each other, sharing resoiurces, personnel, experiences and friendship It has been done elsewhere, it can be done in Manchester. The danger is that the children are relocated to mainstream schools, without trained learning support and specialist therapeutic practice. In such a case, their needs will not be met and the city could be accused of falling short of its statutory responsibilities.

Debbie Williams (03/03/2009 at 21:23)

I was very interested to read your very honest and valid comments Dr Devon.
You obviously understand the needs of the young people that attend Ewing School, and the importance of them receiving an appropriate education.
I don't know if you are aware but the parents of these children are running a campaign to fight the proposed closure.
Rita is the Chairperson of PACE (Parents Against the Closure of Ewing school), and it woud be very much appreciated if you could contact the school to leave your details so that we could discuss this further. The number for Ewing is 0161 445 0745.
Obviously there are huge concerns over the qualifications of the teachers in mainstream setting on teaching and supporting our children.
The purpose closure is for 2010, that's less than a year to train the staff for our children's needs. This is no where near enough time.
Our children deserve better!
As a parent with a child with special needs, I find it riddiculous that i have to fight for every service i require for him.
He has a right to an education that suits his needs as per his educational statement of needs.
He was originally in a mainstream resource school, but he could not cope, nor could the school, so i moved him to a moderate learning school. Despite objections from the parents it was closed down, (As was other MLD schools in Manchester), and now yet again his education is being disrupted again.
This has got to stop. We must protect the vulnerable children at this school, and all future children that will also need it.
Inclusion is fine, if and when it works. at the childs's individual pace, and when it is NOT FORCED!

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