Media coverage
1
Media coverage
Title Disabled pupils failed by lack of school staff, warns expect Media name/outlet The Herald Scotland Duration/Length/Size Scotland Date 19/12/16 Producer/Author Stephen Naysmith Persons Sheila Riddell
Media contributions
1Media contributions
Title Am I Included? Media name/outlet BBC One Scotland Duration/Length/Size Scotland Date 21/12/16 Description Professor Sheila Riddell was interviewed by the BBC's Ian Hamilton for a documentary programme "Am I Included?" on the 21st December 2016.The programme examined whether, after 16 years of mainstream education for children with disabilities in Scotland and after decades of struggle for a more equal society, real inclusion has been achieved. The programme was available on BBC iPlayer online for a finite period of time until 20th January 2017, but the part of the transcript with Professor Riddell's remark can be found below.
Transcript:
Hamilton: When one in five children in Scotland had additional support needs (ASN), it's extraordinary that the teaching qualification did not include any formal training in this area.
Riddell: I do think that there is a problem with the level of teacher expertise in ASN in Scotland. I think sometimes, people thought that if you had inclusion, it would work automatically, just having children with their peers. But you do need to have specialist staff, as well as generic teaching staff.
Hamilton: It sounds to me like we're sitting on a time bomb here, aren't we?
Riddell: Well, I do think that we are going to have to have a reassessment of how inclusive schools are staffed, and how children with ASN are supported. Because just simply identifying a child as having ASN doesn't automatically mean that that child is going to get the support they need to flourish in schools.Producer/Author Ian Hamilton Persons Sheila Riddell