Special schools across Lancashire could be facing the axe in the latest round of county council cuts. The end of the summer holidays will signal an announcement on the future of Lancashire’s 32 special schools. A report prepared by the acting director of education and cultural services will include the future role of each of Lancashire’s 32 special schools, including those where closure or substantial change is recommended. It will also look at how special needs youngsters could be included in mainstream schools and how the schools would have to adapt to accommodate the children.
Lancashire Evening Post (Preston), August 1, 2002.
Monday will see a huge step along an inclusive education route for North Tyneside children with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. The chairman of North Tyneside, Coun. John Carter, will cut the first turf to herald the start of building Silverdale at Mitford Gardens, Howdon — the first purpose-built ESBD school in the North East. It is one of only a handful throughout the United Kingdom. Some of the children are in the care of the local authority and have returned to be educated in the borough from residential establishments outside North Tyneside. Coun. Diane Page, Cabinet member for education, said: ‘The school is one element of a much broader provision aimed at meeting the needs of children with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. When complete it will form the centre of a “hub and spoke” model of provision. This means it will allow movement to and from Silverdale to mainstream primary and secondary schools and learning support units and provide access to a broad range of educational facilities’.
Wallsend News Guardian, August 8, 2002.
Lee Didino’s parents hope new disability discrimination legislation will help their son get the extra support they feel he needs. Lee, who is dyslexic, gets ten hours a week extra help on an accelerated learning package at Lordswood Primary School, Bury, but the help is due to stop this year. His father Stephen welcomed an announcement by education minister, Margaret Hodge, that a Special Education Needs and Disability Tribunal will be set up in September to hear cases of discrimination. The Disability Discrimination Act will require schools, LEAs and post-16 providers not to treat disabled pupils or students less favourably, without justification, than pupils who are not disabled, and to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled pupils are not put at a disadvantage.
Medway Messenger, August 3, 2002.
Coun. Alan Whittaker, the man in charge of Lancashire’s education, has reassured parents that the overhaul of special schools in the area will not result in any pupils suffering. He said the aim of the review was to ensure that, wherever possible, children currently attending special schools could attend mainstream schools instead. To finance change money would be switched from one service to another. There was no question of trying to save money. Coun. Whittaker said it was likely that some special schools would amalgamate with each other, while some would join secondary schools.
Blackburn, Darwin and Hyndburn Citizen, August 15, 2002.
A mother whose autistic son was forced to quit his school because of bullying has been told she will have to teach him at home. Mrs Victoria Burgess says 12-year-old Jonathan has been sidelined by the system — and fears his problems will get worse. Mrs. Burgess hoped Jonathan would be offered a place at Elms Bank High School ,Bury, and visited the school with Jonathan in June. But just before he was due to start a taster week there she was told there was no place for him. Mrs. Burgess said: ‘Anyone who knows about autism knows that home tuition is no good for him. Children like Jonathan need to be taught social skills and to be with other children. An education spokesman said the local authority and the school staff were working with the family to resolve the difficulties.
Bury Times, August 30, 2002.
