Six-year-old Scott Powling, who has Downs Syndrome, is said to be facing a ‘Catch 22 situation’ which could see him forced out of the primary school where his education has flourished into a special needs school. His parents say his troubles started when the support he receives from a welfare assistant was cut to two hours day. From getting results which placed him halfway up his class at Norbury Primary School, Harrow Weald, Scott is said to have regressed further than where he was before he joined the school. Scott’s father says he is furious at the way his son’s case has been handled.
London Evening Standard, March 4, 1996.

Suffolk Education Authority says it is considering setting up units for children with specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia, in mainstream schools. The move follows a decision by the Special Educational Needs Tribunal that Ben Murphy, 13, should attend Cawston College, near Aylsham, at Suffolk’s expense because the education authority could not meet his needs.
Lowestoft Journal, March 1, 1996.

Cheshire County Council is reported as saying that all special needs places in primary schools across the region are full. It is hoping to find extra funding to enable the head of a local primary school with special needs facilities to increase the number of places. The council’s statement follows concern over the case of Brian Seal, 8, who has Aspergers’ Syndrome – a type of autism – and has been out of school for many months. His mother says being at home is making him frustrated and unhappy and she wants him integrated into mainstream school. ‘Brian is a very clever little boy. His problem is with communication – he does not know how to communicate. For this reason it is very important that he is with other children and mixes with children’.
Liverpool Daily Post, March 8, 1996.

Fifteen-year-old Dawn Rogers, whose parents have been involved in a battle with Nottingham Education Authority over funding for a place at the world famous Peto Institute in Hungary, is believed to be the youngest person to pass ‘A’ level Hungarian at the local university. Dawn’s parents say it costs them GBP13,000 a year to pay for Dawn’s schooling. Nottingham Council have paid nothing for Dawn’s education although other families are receiving GBP22,000 to send their children to Peto. Nottingham Council says it has consistently felt that Dawn’s needs can be met in her local community at a special needs centre in mainstream education. It was important for her to receive her education among st her peers rather than in a foreign country.
Nottingham Evening Post, March 9, 1996.

A Clacton boy is attending a special school after a long delay in finding him a school place because of what is described as a ‘Catch 22’ situation. Essex County Council would not consider special educational needs education for Steven Rudelhoff, 14, until he was taken into a mainstream school for assessment. But no mainstream school would take him because they said he required special needs education.
Clacton Gazette, March 8, 1996.

Primary schools in Lincolnshire are to receive information about disabled people and the problems they encounter. County Education Chief Norman Riches explained: ‘Many pupils with special needs are best educated in mainstream schools. For this to be successful, the children’s peers need to accept them on equal level as they would any other pupil. Ignorance is the main barrier here. If these materials can be used in the delivery of everyday lessons and remove some of the barriers that may exist, everyone will benefit’.
Lincolnshire Echo, March 11, 1996.

More than 700 schools are to benefit from GBP8.8 million government funding to up-grade facilities for disabled pupils. The education and employment minister, Lord Henley, told the House of Commons: ‘I am delighted that this will enable many more schools to admit pupils with disabilities’.
Darlington Northern Echo, March 21, 1996.

In a Common’s written reply, education minister Eric Forth, says that almost half of England’s schools provide wheelchair access to more than half of their classrooms.
East Anglian Daily Times, March 22, 1996.

West Sussex Council is considering ways of developing more provision for disabled children in Sussex, after hearing that out-of-county placements are increasing. Assistant director Tony Atkins said steps had to be considered now, otherwise the county would be faced with more and more money being ‘sucked out’. Councillors were told that the typical fees for a boarding place ranged from GBP20,000 to GBP30,000.
Midhurst and Petworth Observer, March 28, 1996.