¾ of SEN students are boys
(CNS): A formal audit in July of students in government schools that have special educational needs severe enough to require additional specialist support, known as Phase 3 SEN, has revealed that boys dominate the figures. According to the summary of the report, which was released under the FOI law, 74% of students who require an Individual Education Plan and support from specialist teachers are boys.
Previous figures released by the Office of Education Standards have indicated that more than a quarter of children in government schools have special needs; this audit found that 11% of students fall into the more severe Phase 3 category.
The audit does not include data from private schools, but the report said the ministry was “seeking to address this as a matter of urgency”.
The audit covered the breakdown of students with SEN by the category of need, types and levels of support, age of students, and National Curriculum year groups. It found that there are 183 children in primary schools with Phase 3 SEN and 249 in the government’s secondary schools (which is 46% of all Phase 3 students) and another 110 at the Lighthouse School.
Among Phase 3 SEN students, Specific Learning Difficulties is most common in the primary and secondary schools, and Intellectual Disability is most common at the Lighthouse School.
Alongside outside specialist intervention programmes available, a number of specialist teachers are deployed across government schools. George Town and Red Bay primary schools have the highest number of students with Phase 3 special needs. At secondary level the Clifton Hunter High School has the most students with SEN.
See the SEN report summary in the CNS Library
Category: Education, Local News
Make SEN awareness training a mandatory requirement for ALL teachers in Cayman.
The CIG needs to develop proper SEN support and to decide if the British system of education is the best for these students. Parttime help is not adequate, putting more pressure on students for heavy exams that destroy their motivation and self esteem is not the answer either. CIG needs to do proper research, match that with proper educational facilities and properly qualified teachers with the proper attitudes towards these students to ensure success. We need a national education plan that caters to all, not just some high performers.
This problem will never be addressed because Education is led by gullible people who believe that people like Prof Heppell have all the answers. He was responsible for the Clifton Hunter debacle and to date no one has been held to account. The Ministry continues along the same path by appointing staff who are unqualified, hoping that things will change. Take for example the new principal for the school. In his letter to parents he writes:
“Along with the Teachers and Staff, I will work hard to continue the legacy of success already evident in the school by building strong relationships with Parents, Students, and Community Partners. We will focus on growth mindset, visible learning, student ownership of learning, attitude to learning and the use of data to drive instruction and to provide consistent implementation of the curriculum rigorously so that we can continue to increase all of the students’ achievement. ”
Students are NOT numbers and teachers,in general hate being dictated to by statistics. Two students may achieve the same grade but may have followed different routes in order to achieve the same. This is because there are many different ways of learning – often determined by environmental and other factors. Perhaps what we need are more student centered staff and leaders – people who have a better idea of what our children need, based on a clear understanding of how they function.
Another question: What is the Clifton Hunter’s ‘legacy of success’ – it is a school that has failed inspection twice.
Free Condoms funding rather than funding increasing social needs.
It would be interesting to know how many of these boys don’t have fathers in their daily lives.
Reckon it would be very close to 100%. Baby daddy they barely know and 3 or 4 siblings with different absentee fathers is the norm.
First it was “refrigerator mothers”. Now it’s lack of fathers. What a horrible person you are. Children were born this way.
Males are more likely to be at both extremes of the intelligence distribution curve than women. These numbers are not that surprising.
Education is designed by woman for a majority of girls who sit and listen. Boys are the majority of the write ups because most do not fit in a mold. Teachers who are used to using force to discipline are lost becuase they no longer have those powers. Teachers need to build relationships with their students and parents. In addition, parents need to step up and be responsible as sex is not a sport.
Our boys have been abandoned by uncaring parents and a society that is structured to put the needs of girls above the needs of boys.
6.47 abandoned children are the result of Jamaican inspired breeding , not parenting.
No role models for children who are left to raise themselves without caring parental guidance.
There is no longer any shame in teenage pregnancy, unemployment, going to Northward , and our society now considers this to be the norm.
This is a national priority that is underfunded and ignored by a govt. Education, special needs and vocational training are important items that must be addressed today. Instead this government ignore the indigent and youth programs to use funds to build a port for key supporters and a few duty free merchants to help them sell their business to uncle D.
Hey Reality Check! We cannot blame Ju Ju for this one like you all here in GC like to do.
At least long gone are the days when teachers sent us home with huge welts from strapping us with leather belts.
We can work with this this. With more population will come more problems.
Chill people. The dock is going in.
Just accept that. We just will not drive around to town that day.
Money being budgeted for special needs will happen and so will funds for all other departments.
I think you’ll find that is normal. The ratio in the UK is somewhere over 60% male. Based on what I’ve read women cope with the problems better.
Just because it’s okay in the UK doesn’t mean it’s okay here. Cayman can do better for these children. Society has turned it’s back on our boys. Men had jobs before where now women have all of the jobs. It really would help to have more male teachers. The children don’t have male models.
Just because it’s okay in the UK…errr what???
What they’re saying is that if this pattern plays out in a population of 60 million people, it’ll probably be similar in a population of 60000.
It’s not a teacher’s job to be a role model. That’s the baby daddy’s job. And they ain’t doing it!
Teachers are role models whether they like it or not.
That’s the problem. Women need to stop having baby daddies and wait for a structured long-term relationship or marriage to have children.
‘Baby daddies’ are babies themselves. They’re not mature enough to take care of other people so don’t expect them to.
8:34 I agree about having more male teachers.
I wanted my boy to attend Cub Scouts and unfortunately the leadership is 100% female. The cadet corps. had a female commandant, the head of education is female, the general manager of the bonaventure boys home is female…
I’m not a sexist, but these boys are seriously lacking male role models!
Am a boy i can confirm