正文
England's special-education system is on its knees
英格兰的特殊教育体系已经岌岌可危
About 1.4m school children in England have a special need of some sort. Some children with severe SEND will never meet the usual academic milestones. But those with more minor conditions should be able to do so, if they receive sufficient support.
在英格兰，大约有 140 万在校儿童有某种特殊需要。一些有严重特殊教育需求或残障的儿童将永远不会达成通常意义上的“学业里程碑”。但是，那些情况较轻的儿童应该能够做到，前提是他们得到了足够的支持。
With that in mind, achievement across the group looks low. In 2018 only about 14% of children with SEND in state schools got good GCSEs in mathematics and English, compared with 48% of their peers. They make up around half of the children expelled from state schools for behavioural infractions.
考虑到这一点，这个儿童群体达成的学业成就其实看起来很少。2018 年，仅有 14% 就读公立学校的 SEND 儿童在英国普通中等教育证书考试中获得了良好的数学和英语成绩，相比之下，他们的同龄人中有 48% 获得了良好成绩。在因违规行为而被公立学校开除的孩子中，SEND 儿童占了大约一半。
Poor marks not only limit their opportunities but complicate efforts to narrow gaps between rich and poor pupils, since children with extra needs are more likely than others to come from disadvantaged homes.
低分不仅限制了他们的机会，还让试图缩小贫富学生之间差距的举动变得更加困难，因为有额外需求的儿童更有可能来自贫困家庭。
The share of children identified by schools and councils as having special educational needs varies wildly by region. Overall, however, the trend is upwards.
经学校和议会认证的具有特殊教育需求的儿童所占学生的比例，在不同地区有很大差异。然而，总体而言，这一趋势是向上的。
Councils say central-government funding lags behind rising demand. Two-fifths of children who apply for an EHC plan, required for the priciest help, wait longer than half a school year to be assessed.
地方议会表示，中央政府的资金滞后于不断增长的需求。教育与健康护理计划（EHC plan）是获得费用最昂贵的援助所必须的，而在申请这份计划的儿童中，有五分之二等待评估的时间都超过半个学年。
Any new effort to fix special education will have to resolve recent failures. Improving how mainstream schools handle milder difficulties could bring the greatest benefits. But making schools more inclusive may also be the trickiest part of the puzzle.
任何修复特殊教育问题的新尝试，都必须解决近年来的失败。让主流学校改进处理较为轻微的困难的方法，或许可以带来最大的益处。但是如何让学校更具包容性，也可能是这个难题中最棘手的部分。
Parents of children with SEND commonly argue that efforts to push up school standards, for example through league tables based on exam results, have made schools less welcoming.
有特殊教育需求或残障的孩子的父母通常认为，提高学校标准的做法，例如基于考试成绩对学校进行排名，使得学校的氛围变得不那么友善了。
主编：颍楠、Abby
品控：XP、Amber
审核：Jack
重点词汇
on one's knees
濒临崩溃，岌岌可危；跪着
例句：The economy of this country is on its knees.
of some sort
某种事物
相关词汇：sort（n. 种类）
例句：These young people are playing a game of some sort.
milestone
/ˈmaɪl.stoʊn/
n. 里程碑，重要阶段
相关词汇：mile（n. 英里）
相关词汇：stone（n. 石头）
例句：Starting school is a milestone for both children and parents.
sufficient
/səˈfɪʃ.ənt/
adj. 足够的，充足的
近义词：enough
搭配短语：sufficient evidence
搭配短语：sufficient time
peer
/pɪr/
n. 同龄人，同辈
英文释义：a person of the same age, status, or ability as another person
搭配短语：peer review
搭配短语：peer pressure
make up
组成，构成；编造；补齐（时间或费用）
例句：Ten chapters make up this book.
expel
/ɪkˈspel/
v. 开除，驱逐
搭配短语：expel sb. from sth.
例句：He was expelled from school for cheating.
infraction
/ɪnˈfræk.ʃən/
n. 违规，违法
英文释义：an act of breaking a rule or law
近义词：violation
搭配短语：a traffic infraction
complicate
/ˈkɑːm.plə.keɪt/
v. 使......复杂，使......困难
相关词汇：complicated（adj. 复杂的，困难的）
例句：Covid-19 has complicated many people's lives.
narrow
/ˈner.oʊ/
v. 缩小……差距或范围；使......变窄
词性拓展：narrow（adj. 狭窄的）
搭配短语：to narrow the economic gap between the two cities
disadvantaged
/ˌdɪs.ədˈvæn.t̬ɪdʒd/
adj. 社会地位低的，弱势的
相关词汇：disadvantage（n. 缺点）
英文释义：having social problems, such as a lack of money or education, which make it difficult for you to succeed
搭配短语：the disadvantaged
share
/ʃer/
n. 份额，一份
词性拓展：share（v. 分享；分配）
例句：They shared the cake between them.
搭配短语：a share in the profits
例句：I do my share of the housework.
trend
/trend/
n. 趋势，趋向
近义词：tendency
搭配短语：the downward trend of the stock market
lag
/læɡ/
v. 落后
英文释义：to move or develop more slowly than others
搭配短语：lag behind
例句：He now lags 10 points behind the champion.
pricey
/ˈpraɪ.si/
adj. 昂贵的
相关词汇：price（n. 价格）
近义词：expensive
搭配短语：a pricey car
assess
/əˈses/
v. 评价，评估
近义词：judge，evaluate
搭配短语：to assess the impact of sth.
搭配短语：to assess the impact of advertising on children
mainstream
/ˈmeɪn.striːm/
adj. 主流
相关词汇：main（adj. 主要的）
相关词汇：stream（n. 溪流）
例句：Environmental ideas have been absobed into the mainstream of politics.
mild
/maɪld/
adj. 温和的；不严重的
搭配短语：a mild case of the flu
inclusive
/ɪnˈkluː.sɪv/
adj. 包容的
相关词汇：include（v. 包含，包括）
例句：It is an inclusive nation.
反义词：exclusive（adj. 独占的；排外的）
welcoming
/ˈwel.kəm.ɪŋ/
adj. 热情的，友好的
相关词汇：welcome（v. 欢迎）
近义词：friendly
搭配短语：a welcoming host
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