Simeon has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. He has been very happy at his mainstream primary school.
Looking for his next school means looking at the options available in mainstream schools and the choice to be made… mainstream or specialist?
Sophie Grant is 16 and has chosen to complete her education at Star College, a residential school for disabled young people.
She will be attending a four day get together for new students taking place in the spring. New students will mix with residents and get a taste of life away from home, family and friends before the big move in September.
Behind the stories
In a 2004 survey, more than 75% of parents said that they were satisfied with the statutory assessment system for pupils with Special Educational Needs
A recent Times Educational Supplement survey revealed that 37% of teachers had had no initial teacher training in working with pupils with SEN.
5.14% of schools are Special schools today compared to 5.95% in 1984. However, with the opening of Pupil Referral Units (where teenagers withbehavioural difficulties are now placed) there are more segregated settings in 2006 than there were in 1984.
First broadcast: Monday 11 Dec 2006 on BBC ONE
Nobody's Normal in more depth:
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - About the series
BBC
Nobody’ s Normal is a series about five significant stages in a lifetime…as lived by disabled people and their families. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - About the series
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Programme 1: Baby love
BBC
Programme one in the BBC/OU's Nobody's Normal series explores parenting. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Programme 1: Baby love
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Programme 2: Education, education, education
BBC
The second programme in the BBC/OU's series Nobody's Normal looks at how the system tries to meet special educational needs. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Programme 2: Education, education, education
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Programme 3: Love is in the air
BBC
The third programme in the BBC/OU's Nobody's Normal series explores the challenges facing disabled people looking for a partner. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Programme 3: Love is in the air
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Programme 4: Moving on
BBC
For disabled people, striking out on their own can be difficult, as the fourth programme in the BBC/OU's Nobody's Normal series explores. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Programme 4: Moving on
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Programme 5: Who cares?
BBC
With disabled children living longer, the BBC/OU's Nobody's Normal series investigates the strains placed on carers. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Programme 5: Who cares?
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Courses
BBC
Want to know more - and perhaps get a qualification along the way? Investigate the opportunities offered by OU courses. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Courses
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Do you have caring responsibilities?
OU
The OU has produced this special information aimed at carers thinking of starting a course. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Do you have caring responsibilities?
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Martha Kearney's introduction
The Open University / Karen Parker
Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Martha Kearney's introduction
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Responses to Baby love
BBC
Our panel offer their personal responses to the first programme in the series Nobody's Normal: 'Baby love'. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Responses to Baby love
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Responses to Education, education, education
BBC
Some of the questions raised in Education, education, education are explored further in our panel's responses. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Responses to Education, education, education
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Responses to Love is in the air
BBC
The challenges and triumphs of forming meaningful relationships form the heart of our panel's responses to the programme. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Responses to Love is in the air
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Responses to Moving on
BBC
Picking up on some of themes of the Moving on programme, our panel offer their responses. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Responses to Moving on
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Responses to Who cares?
BBC
Our panel consider a few of the issues raised by the programme Who cares and offer some responses. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Responses to Who cares?
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Taking it further
Production team
If you're a carer, related to a disabled person, or disabled yourself, there's a wind range of help and support available from a network of... Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Taking it further
OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Welcome from Brian Rix
BBC
With Mencap publishing its book All About Us and Nobody's Normal on TV, the spotlight is really on learning disabilities says Brian Rix. Read more : OU on the BBC: Nobody's Normal - Welcome from Brian Rix
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