Gillon Carruthers The Politics Show South West

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Special Needs units to close

Emotions are running high in Taunton and Minehead over plans to close six special educational needs units in schools.

Those in favour claim there will be fairness in the new system with more integration. Parents' groups argue it will have a devastating effect on their children.

The row has now reached Parliament.

At the moment children with special needs have their own building within the schools and are able to dip in and out of mainstream schooling.

Gloria Cawood, the Education Portfolio holder for Somerset County Council, who has embraced the government's enthusiasm to integrate special needs children in schools, says that fairness is the motivation behind the new system, which would phase out the special units over the next two years.

"We are actually looking at different ways of funding them. What we are now saying is the funding should follow the child.

"Surely it is fair that every child with the same special educational need should have the same amount of funding."

Mark Blaker, whose son Joe attends a special unit at Wiveliscombe, near Taunton, represents SENSE, a parents' group hoping to overturn the council's decision.

He says it will result in special needs children losing the experienced staff who teach them, and the attention they deserve: "Describing this as fair is a very na�ve approach.

"What we are talking about is a situation where the guaranteed funding to the units is going to be cut.

"What is going to replace it is a very vague situation."

The subject was raised in a parliamentary debate by Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger.

The plans affect a school in his Bridgwater constituency and he has real concerns.

He said: "If facilities in the six special needs units are withdrawn, the consequences are obvious: either the children will physically have to travel further, or the specialist staff that remain in the schools will have to make longer journeys instead."

Education minister Maria Eagle said this in reply: "It is not the Government's policy to have inclusion at all costs.

"However, it is our policy to ensure, when suitable, if the parents want it and it is likely to help, that disabled children should have access to mainstream education in greater number than in the past, when it was too easily assumed that separation was best."

The consultation process is underway with the schools organisation committee due to make a decision in July 2006.

If it cannot reach agreement the schools adjudicator may have to get involved, which could see the arguments over the future of special needs children continue until the end of the year.

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