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Good practice guidelines for education

In 2012, the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Down Syndrome published a report presenting good practice guidelines for education for children and young people with Down syndrome.

The report, "Down Syndrome: Good Practice Guidelines for Education" offers guidelines on education for children and young people with Down syndrome aged from birth to 25 years.

Published in 2012, the report was prepared by an Education Working Group, assembled by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Down Syndrome, 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:

  1. Recognise the specific developmental and educational needs of children and young people with Down syndrome as a unique group
  2. Ensure effective planning and monitoring for this population of children/ young people
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Develop government led, centrally produced, evidence based guidance for practitioners on Down syndrome
  6. Protect the provision of specialist Down syndrome support services
  7. 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.

The report is available to download: