Accreditation of initial teacher education courses should also be expanded to ensure educators are better equipped to meet the learning needs of students with disability,particularly students with autism spectrum disorder,the inquiry found.
NSW Greens MP Abigail Boyd,who chaired the inquiry,said that disability education is a “false choice” for parents who must choose between an unfit mainstream setting,or a “segregated” setting.
“It is clear that the current education system in NSW is not working for people with disability ... Every child has the right to quality accessible education,” she said.
“Students with disability are increasingly being channelled into segregated schools and classes because our mainstream education system is not equipped to provide the necessary supports and resources that children with disability need.”
Demand for places in schools for children with special needs has risen more than 20 per cent over the past decade as the NSW Department of Education continues to add more classes and teachers despite some members of the disability royal commission recommending they be phased out.
Enrolments in SSPs have risen by 51.4 per cent in the past 20 years and,since 2005,the NSW Department of Education has hired more than 350 teachers to the SSPs and committed to opening 12 more classrooms this year.
The schools provide higher level support for students with intellectual disabilities,mental health,physical disabilities and behavioural issues. Some classes are also held at juvenile detention centres and children’s hospitals.