This report, published by the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Down Syndrome, offers guidelines on education for children and young people with Down syndrome aged from birth to 25 years.
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Down Syndrome (APPGDS) aims to to raise awareness of issues affecting people with Down syndrome, and the prospects for improving life outcomes, and to campaign for changes to government policy to improve the lives of people with Down Syndrome. The APPGDS steering group includes family members and representatives of IPSEA, the Down's Heart Group and Down Syndrome Education International.
The report was prepared by an Education Working Group, assembled by the APPGDS, including psychologists, speech and language therapists, teachers and representatives of the Down's Syndrome Association, Symbol UK, NASEN, IPSEA, The Education Centre for Children with Down Syndrome and Down Syndrome Education International.
The report calls on government to:
- Recognise the specific developmental and educational needs of children and young people with Down syndrome as a unique group
- Ensure effective planning and monitoring for this population of children/ young people
- Develop the inspection framework so that the inspection process is informed by and checks against identified good practice with pupils with SEN, and specifically Down syndrome
- Promote and support syndrome-specific approaches tailored to the learning profile of children and young people with Down syndrome, and endorse the principles set out in this document
- Develop government led, centrally produced, evidence based guidance for practitioners on Down syndrome
- Protect the provision of specialist Down syndrome support services
- Recognise and meet the need for provision of additional resourcing
The report summarises information about the specific learning needs of children with Down syndrome and sets out principles for effective education practice.