The Percy Hedley Foundation Speaks Out

"Promoting the Rights, Needs and Aspirations of People with Disabilites"

The Percy Hedley Foundation, a charity based in Newcastle upon Tyne, has been offering a range of services to children and adults with cerebral palsy and communication difficulties for over 50 years.

Its current services include a Family Support Centre, pre-school groups, a Primary School, Secondary School and a Post-16 Centre. It also offers a range of Adult Services including living options, day care activities and sports. It has developed highly skilled and specialist resources driven by its underpinning value; putting the rights, needs and aspirations of its clients first. It has helped thousands of children, adults and families since it opened in 1953 and the demand for its services is greater than ever.

The Foundation's Children's Services offer a very comprehensive and specialist resource staffed by educationalists, physiotherapists, occupational and speech and language therapists as well as psychologists, a paediatrician, special support assistants and a family support worker.

Parents have a comprehensive and coordinated response to their child's needs from as young as six months and get the support they need until the child reaches school age and, where necessary, beyond.

The Government's inclusion agenda makes reference to the continuing role for special schools for children with "the most severe and complex needs". There is a need for greater clarity about the children being referred to within this definition. My current experience and that of many parents is that the complexity of the needs of their children is not being recognised and they are being offered wholly inadequate mainstream provision or placement in generic special schools which do not have the specialist expertise or resources.

It is crucial that the Government's drive towards meeting "the principle of inclusion" does not result in children's equality and diversity being ignored. Its vital message that 'inclusion is about much more than the types of school children attend; it is about the quality of their experience and how far they are helped to learn, achieve and participate fully in the life of the school' has clearly been missed by the 'inclusion idealogues' whose reductionist approach to inclusion assigns special (or specialist) education to the world of segregated education.

The Percy Hedley Schools exist to enhance the lives of children with severe complex needs. Pupils thrive within this specialist educational and therapeutic environment, their parents are supported by it and value it greatly. The schools' multi-disciplinary staff are highly skilled and experienced and they emanate inclusion at all levels. This is a truly regional resource and a vital part of the continuation of provision diverse children need.

I would encourage anyone with an interest in the education of children with special educational needs to visit and see The Percy Hedley Foundation at work.


© Jim Ferris

This article first appeared in The House Magazine (Disability Issues Supplement), February 28, 2005 p.36.
Email: editorial.housemag@parlicom.com

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