A Tyneside family fighting for their disabled daughter to be allowed go to a mainstream school say they will not give up. Today Joanne Spendiff, 12, will have to stand by and watch her friends start the new term at St Thomas More RC High School in North Shields without her. Education chiefs have ruled that the confident little girl, who has Down’s Syndrome, must now go to a special school – even though she has already spent the past nine years at a mainstream primary school with no problems. Her parents Trish and Gordon, of Murray Road, Wallsend, are determined to fight the decision and to plan to take the case to the High Court.
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Journal, September 3, 1996.

Sue Donald, 38, met school chiefs this week in an attempt to find a way forward for seven-year-old David at Crompton View Primary School, Bilsthorpe. His one to one teaching in the mainstream school has been slashed from 27 hours to 17 hours. David, who has cystic fibrosis, could attend for the other ten hours but would not be closely supervised. An education department spokesman said: ‘Detailed consideration of David’s needs has shown that he is making good progress and that reducing the support he received will encourage greater independence. The decision was not based on financial considerations but reflected David’s specific educational needs’.
Nottingham Evening Post, September 5, 1996.

The Romanian youngster brought to Worcester for treatment for his disabilities believed to have been caused by radiation following the Chernobyl accident has started mainstream school this term. Five-year-old Cornel Hrisca was brought to England by Whittington couple Ken and Doreen Munn. Mrs Munn said he looked very smart in his new uniform but was slightly worried when she left him at the gates of St Clement’s Primary School. ‘He was fine after I had gone’ she said. ‘And he came home with a gold star he had for drawing a picture of the park’.
Worcester and Hereford Evening News September 6, 1996.

An Appeal Court judge yesterday ruled that Haringey Council in North London was wrong to force Kate Caryer to go to a special needs school. Her mother Midge, 44, wanted Kate to go Fortismere School near their home in Muswell Hill, so she could be with her friends, but when Haringey Council discovered that the school needed GBP122,000 of improvements they said she should go to a special needs school as it would be cheaper. Giving his decision, Mr Justice Collins said : ‘Kate is a highly intellectual girl who best responds in circumstances that motivate her and stretch her. It was decided that to continue her development socially she needed to be near her friends and also be in a mainstream school that would treat her intellectually as a mainstream pupil. Although Fortismere School was not suitable, it was the right school in the circumstances for Kate. Although it is better to find the cheaper solution, it is not always the case’.
Daily Express, September 11, 1996.

Parents at Sandringham Primary School, Doncaster, have raised a 125-signature petition saying they want their children to be taught alongside Jamie Brown. Six year-old Jamie, who has Down’s Syndrome, was turned away on the first day of term, even though an agreement had been reached for him to attend the school part-time. According to his mother: ‘When we arrived the teachers knew nothing about it and we were told there was no special needs assistant available and no place for him. James was totally confused and we both went home in tears’. A spokesman for Doncaster Council said a meeting had been arranged in the hope of reaching a satisfactory solution.
Doncaster Star, September 17, 1996.

The Court of Appeal judgement that Katie Caryer can attend the mainstream school near her home could mean that Haringey Council may face appeals from other parents. The Council has spent GBP3.8 million on improvements at Northumberland Park School with a view to transferring children from the Vale Special School. But after the Caryer judgement some parents may now be unwilling to send their children there because of the journey time from their homes.
Wood Green and Tottenham Weekly Herald, September 24, 1996.