Heidi Crowther, nine, is proving a shining example to all at Mount Nod Primary School, Coventry. Heidi has Down’s Syndrome but unlike many children with her condition she goes to mainstream school. Recent figures released by the Down’s Association highlight how Heidi was at risk of becoming another statistic, with a third of parents claiming they have experienced discrimination from education staff and 51 per cent reporting a lack of specialist knowledge. But despite these possible pitfalls Heidi is a success and her school life goes from strength to strength. Mum, Liz, 37, and Dad, Steve, 35, who run their own car sourcing business, faced a difficult decision when their daughter got to school age. It was either send her to an ordinary school or one which catered for pupils with special needs. After investigating they chose Mount Nod. Liz said: ‘From the head teacher downwards the school has always been positive about having her here. We wanted her to be educated in the mainstream but it’s been a question of reviewing the situation each term and seeing what is right for her. Other parents are glad Heidi is here and hopefully in 20 years time they won’t be staring a people with Down’s Syndrome in the street like some adults do now.’
Coventry Evening Telegraph, July 1, 2004.

Four new schools costing £24m will give Dudley special needs kids a better education. Each of the state-of-the-art centres, costing £6m, will have a new language and communication unit which will cater for youngsters with complex needs. The Brier at Brierley Hill is already open for business and council chiefs aim to have the remaining three sites at Coseley, Hillcrest and The Grange up and running by 2010. Director of Education and Lifelong Learning, John Freeman, said: ‘The vision is to provide high quality education for as many children as possible alongside their peers in their local community. We aim to do this through flexible access to a continuum of provision that meets a diversity of need. The plans will cut the boroughs’ special schools from seven to six. Halesbury and Old Park Special Schools will remain open but will be subject to modernisation and made more accessible. The new centres will provide training and development facilities for teachers from across the borough.
Dudley News and County Express, July 1, 2004.

A 12-year-old girl who has battled against all odds to go to mainstream school is looking forward to her first day at Ryburn Valley High. Only a handful of young people like her in England attend mainstream schools. Nadia Clarke, of Savile Park Gardens, Halifax, is deaf and cannot speak but manages to communicate through sign language and an electronic keypad. Her family moved to Calderdale from Northumberland to find a school that would accept her and she spent six happy years at nearby Savile Park Primary School. But come September she must move on. All her friends are going to Sowerby Bridge High School but Nadia can’t because she uses an electronic wheelchair and access would be too difficult. So she is following her brother, Sean, to Ryburn Valley High School, Sowerby, where she will eventually be joined by her other four brothers and sisters. Mrs. Clarke said her positive experience at primary school had prepared her well for the next step. ‘She is very confident and outgoing and has high self-esteem and they will be the foundation and building blocks for high school.’
Evening Courier (Halifax), July 28, 2004.

A Jewish father has spoken of his heartache after his disabled daughter was denied funding to send her to a special needs school for orthodox children. A special educational needs and disability tribunal last week upheld a decision by Barnet Council not to pay for eight-year-old Sabrina Leigh to attend the £18,000-a-year Kisharon School in Golders Green. The tribunal ruled that the non-denominational Northway school in Mill Hill, the Council’s preferred choice, is adequate for Sabrina who suffers from Worster-Drought Syndrome, a mild form of cerebral palsy. Sabrina’s father, Kenneth, said: ‘The council has shown no respect for either our faith or Sabrina’s needs, and it has caused us a lot of heartache – we are at breaking point. She will be totally lost if she has to go to Northway. She will not be able to catch up when she has to take time off for festivals and Shabbat. She will feel excluded when she cannot eat from the non-kosher canteen. It is totally wrong.’ The tribunal accepted the conclusion of educational psychologist, Dr. Alan Fuller, speaking for the council, who said it was not necessary for Sabrina to be educated in a religious school. The tribunal also accepted evidence from Northway that it could accommodate the requirements of the Jewish calendar and diet.
Potters Bar and Cuffley Press, July 2004.