Margaret Davies, 55, is a primary school teacher in Pembrokeshire.
"I know that some parents are worried about special educational needs (SEN) children being integrated into mainstream education but, having taught several SEN pupils in my class, I really believe that they, as well as the other pupils, benefit from the arrangement.
There's no reason why SEN children can't join in and be a part of most lessons. I had a boy called Dewi who had Down's Syndrome in my class for three years. He'd sit in and listen and take part in every lesson and I'd make sure he was always part of the learning. He progressed really well. By the time he was nine, he could read anything that was put in front of him, both in English and Welsh.
I remember once, on a school trip to a church, other visitors there were absolutely amazed to hear him reading all the notices pinned up on the church door. The following week, there was a letter in the local paper praising the child and the school. He loved reading, both in English and Welsh, and, although he didn't understand what every single word meant, he could remember the pattern of a word perfectly. He's in secondary school now and French is his favourite subject.
Of course pupils with SEN like Dewi can't do exactly the same work as the other pupils - I would give Dewi work to suit his level. It would be on exactly the same subject or theme as the rest of the class so he didn't feel left out or isolated e.g. if the subject was rivers, his work would be about the river that flowed past his house - something that he knew about - while the other pupils would look at rivers in a wider sense. And while the rest of the class would learn 10 new words, he would learn five. All the work would be adapted to his level.
But it's also important to make sure that work for SEN pupils isn't too easy and that it does challenge them and help them to move on. Like the other kids, Dewi would get work to take home, which his parents would help with.
If you've got a child with SEN, it's really important to keep in close touch with their teacher and class assistant. A contact book is a good way to do this - if I had anything to tell Dewi's parents, I'd write in it. Or, if there was a problem at home, his parents would write in it to let me know. In Dewi's case, his parents lived nearby and brought him into school every day so we kept in close touch that way, which was really helpful.
The other children thought the world of him and there were never any problems with bullying. They'd been with him in class since nursery school - and he'd taken part in every concert, choir, football game etc. - nobody was ever nasty to him. The only time I ever saw anyone laugh at him was when new children joined the class - they didn't know him. He'd play outside with everyone else at break time and in the dinner hour.
He was really popular - a real character. In his last year in my class, he was ill for several weeks and then had an operation to take out his tonsils. He'd realised that he was excused from doing everyday work in class while he was poorly and, when he came back to school after his operation, if he didn't want to do something, he would tell me 'Miss, my tonsils hurt' - even though hed just had them taken out!
Advice
Before your child starts school, go to the school and talk to the teacher and class assistant, get every help possible from the school staff, governors, health authority and local authorities. But don't just leave it at that - make sure you continue to work closely with the school throughout your child's education.
Every child's needs are different so find out if you need the help of a speech therapist etc. Some special needs children need physiotherapy as well. The important thing to remember is that different children have different needs and you need to respond to this.
Remember that all children have potential and we just need to help them to do their best. And always remember that opportunities for mixing with other children are always important."
Margaret, Pembrokeshire
