Nursery World - Schools require 'new training on special needs', study finds

New teaching methods are needed to help schools cope with a growing number of children who have increasingly complex special needs and disabilities, according to new research.

A study by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, funded by the Department for Education, warns that urgent action is needed to help a new generation of children never before seen in the education system.

It says there has been a rapid increase in the number of children with complex special needs such as foetal alcohol syndrome, mental health problems and the long-term effects of premature birth, due to advances in medical treatment.

The study, which was based on schools in the UK and overseas, and a survey of the latest research into disabilities and special needs, recommends that:

Professor Barry Carpenter, (pictured), who led the research, said, 'This is not just an issue for special schools. Teachers in mainstream schools need to be aware of these trends because they are increasingly likely to encounter children with problems they have not seen before.

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