00:00Thorne is thriving at home and school, but that hasn't always been the way for the 10-year-old.
00:07He was suspended more often than he was at school. I think his attendance was something like 40%.
00:12His mum says she felt pressure for her son, who has autism, to go to a special school instead.
00:18He was in a place of asking, why is my brain bad? Pretty heartbreaking stuff.
00:25The turning point was a new teacher at his state primary school.
00:29I think just had this attitude of wanting to be able to support all kids.
00:34She's worried about the fate of other students with a disability.
00:37Around the country, there are big investments being made into special schools, including in Queensland, which has just announced plans to build six.
00:46It is very disappointing and extremely concerning that we are seeing this trend towards segregation.
00:52As a controversial topic, even the Disability Royal Commission couldn't come to a consensus,
00:57with half the commissioners recommending special schools be phased out by 2051,
01:02while the other three commissioners disagreed, instead calling for stronger relationships between mainstream and special schools.
01:09We favour choice for parents and to make sure that we certainly aren't going to close special schools.
01:15That was a split decision of the Royal Commission.
01:18He says there's been a clear demand for the schools announced in the state budget.
01:22We needed to make sure that we have adequate planning and access for parents who have their students that need to go to special schools.
01:30I've worked with some very, very complex kids over the years and I struggle to imagine how they would be accommodated in a mainstream classroom.
01:40Dawn's mum wants the money invested into existing schools instead.
01:44I think a lot of teachers would be more open to inclusion if there was money to make it happen.
01:50I've worked with some very many Kings.
01:53I'm going to sit on the floor and say it doesn't have a big issue.
01:55I can't wait for the help of my friends to make it happen.
01:57I'm going to wish to be careful.
01:59I think it's not going to be a small class for me.
02:00Once a week, it's of course in the last week with a year.
02:01So if I have a great idea.
02:03It's a very good idea of what you're doing.
02:04I'm going to be able to do that.
02:05So if you're going to get through all the current schools,
02:06it's the beginning level of our program π.
02:08And typically, when I have a very strong training,
02:10a very strong training,
02:11you might be able to look into it you know that.
02:13It's a very common sense of the Sometimes I'm looking at the time when I see
02:14a lot of the time.
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