Consultation during 2002 – 2004 resulted in new special educational needs legislation in Northern Ireland. The Special Educational Needs and Disability (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (SENDO) , which came into operation on 1st September 2005, aims to strengthen the rights of children with special educational needs to be educated in mainstream schools stipulating that students with SEN must be educated in mainstream schools unless this is against the parents’ wishes or would have a negative effect on the education of other children.
In Northern Ireland, the provision of education for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) attending schools from the age of two to 19 years is the responsibility of the local Education and Library Boards (ELBs).
The Special Educational Needs and Disability (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (SENDO) which came into effect in September 2005, imposes new duties on ELBs, including the requirement to prepare an accessibility strategy which has regard to improving the accessibility of school premises for disabled children, increasing disabled students’ access to the curriculum and ensuring information is provided to disabled students in an appropriate format.
Much fuller information is available here and also here.
Posted 01 October, 2009 06:53:30 GMT