A NEW England mother has urged the state government not to ignore the recommendations of a report into students with a disability.
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In a final report, the committee leading the Inquiry into Students With a Disability and Special Needs in NSW Schools handed down 39 recommendations after more than a year of investigations and public hearings.
Among the recommendations is a review on how allied health services and support for students with special needs is provided in schools, including providing allied health professional teams at a regional level.
The committee also recommended school counsellors be provided at a minimum ratio of one counsellor for every 500 students.
Mandatory training into the legal obligations and disability education standards was also proposed for principals.
With more than 400 submissions to the inquiry, the committee also found that the level of allegations of ill-treatment of disabled children in NSW schools and the number of reportable incidents were "unacceptable."
New England P&C president Rachael Sowden, who is also the mother of a child with a disability, said she was not surprised by the amount of submissions.
Dr Sowden also made a submission to the inquiry detailing her experiences in the education system and calling for adequate training and equality.
"We value the government's making of the recommendations, but as it's a cross party inquiry not all the recommendations are always taken on board," she said.
"There is certainly some concerning issues brought up like teacher training and making sure people have the capacity and the right training and amount of time to make sure they are skilled enough to deal with children with additional needs."
She said there were some recommendations that had previously been announced by the NSW Government but not implemented and believed now was the time to take action.
"The 1 in 500 ratio for school counsellors and support teachers is something the state P&C has been pushing for, for a very long time," she said.
"Part of the problem is actually finding people on the ground and bums on seats.
"It's all very nice to say this is what we intend to do, but, if you can't find the person to do it, all this talk of access and equality is irrelevant."
She said she hoped the outcome of the inquiry, coupled with a Federal government review into regional and remote schools could address some of the issues.
"These are real children, they have real names and they belong to real families," she said.
A Department of Education spokesman said the recommendations were under consideration.
“The department welcomes the report, which provides a number of recommendations for improving the education and school experience of students with a disability or special needs,” he said.
“In evidence to the Parliamentary committee that wrote the report, the department acknowledged that more needed to be done at school and administrative levels to support these students, their families and teachers.
“The report noted that “there are many instances where government schools provide exemplary inclusive and supporting education for children with special needs”; the department’s commitment to these students was also recognised.
“The department will consider in detail the report’s recommendations and their application in schools and administratively.”
Tamworth Labor MLC Daniel Mookhey who was part of the inquiry committee said the inquiry was the catalyst for change.
“The inquiry heard it was particularly hard for children with special needs to get a first class education in the regions," he said.
“Families in regional NSW have difficulty accessing allied health professionals to prove to the department their child needs support.
“There was bi-partisan agreement on this inquiry that the government needs to do better – this is an important first step.”
The government’s response to the report is due in March next year.
