Campaigners opposed to the exclusion of pupils for anti-social behaviour in and out of school are attempting to form a ‘mass movement’ to fight the policy. A number of organizations already exist to oppose exclusions from mainstream schools, which disproportionately affects Afro-Caribbean pupils. These groups include the Communities Empowerment Network, Parents for Inclusion and the Alliance for Inclusive Education. Teachers Union NASUWT has called for special schools for pupils with behavioural problems and learning difficulties to be expanded. Parents for Inclusion responded by calling for the closing of all specialist schools and for funds to be diverted to mainstream. Now the lottery funded Communities Empowerment Network is calling a meeting to co-ordinate opposition to exclusion. Director, Gerry German, said: ‘We hope to form an organisation called Parents and Students Empowerment, which we want to be a mass movement.’
Third Sector, May 5, 2004.

They have long been regarded as man’s best friend — and as every owner will tell you a dog’s abilities must never be underestimated. Indeed at Canine Partners, a British charity which provides dogs to act as carers for the disabled, the animals can perform a truly astonishing range of tasks. The dogs are taught hundreds of commands to enable them to do everything from dressing and undressing their partners to emptying the washing machine, withdrawing money from cash machines and doing the shopping. In preparation for the canine partnership each dog has to undergo two years of intense and expensive training. Puppies are chosen at seven weeks old and it costs £9,500 to complete the course. There are currently 70 canine partnerships in UK but there is a need for hundreds more. Director, Denise Gabriel said: ‘I can’t begin to explain what a difference these animals make. They really do change lives and it is frustrating because there are so many people out there who need them. We are desperate to train more dogs, but we can’t do it until we have the space and the funds to do so’.
Mail on Sunday, May 9, 2004.

Worried parents of children with special needs say the serious consequences of placing them in mainstream Dudley schools are being ignored. The Dudley Special Schools Protection League is still waiting for the LEA to publish its Inclusion Strategy detailing the future of education in the borough. Parents fear the report which will be published at the end of June will reveal that special schools across the borough are to close. Leon Evans, whose son Simeon is autistic, says parents of children who do not have learning difficulties don’t seem to realize the impact that closing special schools and putting special needs children into mainstream will have. Leon said: ‘We don’t believe putting children into mainstream will be beneficial to either sets of children’. But Sharon Menghini, assistant director of education, access and inclusion, said the LEA thinks inclusion is the right thing to do. ‘The Council thinks it is wrong to segregate children and supports inclusion. Working and learning together helps children prepare for adult society where we have to live and work alongside people of all abilities.’
Dudley Chronicle, May 13, 2004.

An Exeter school has won a £38,000 cash boost to create the region’s first nursery for both visually-impaired and normal-sighted children. The award to the West of England School for Children With Little or No Sight was announced this week by Catherine Ashton, Minister for Inclusive and Extended Schools. The money will go towards setting up a nursery for up to 30 youngsters aged five and under on the school’s Topsham Road site by September, 2005. West of England School principal Paul Holland was delighted to receive the cash. He said: ‘It would be a way of opening up our excellent facilities, including our swimming pool, to younger children. Currently there is so much emphasis on including children with special needs in mainstream schools. Here we are doing the reverse by allowing normal-sighted children to develop alongside visually-impaired children. It will be the first of its kind in the region’.
Express and Echo, Exeter, May 18, 2004.

Too much pressure is put on parents of disabled children to force them into mainstream education, Witney MP David Cameron has warned. The Tory MP, who said he has felt the strain personally with his two-year-old disabled son Ivan, was set to raise his concerns in Parliament today. He is urging the Government to throw its full support behind special schools and apply common sense instead of ‘political correctness’. He said: ‘We are in the process of finding a school and I have been quite struck that the pressure put on us to try and come up with a mainstream option has been huge. Speaking ahead of the debate, Mr. Cameron said that it was vital for parents to be given a full and free range of choice. He said: ‘I want to impress on the minister that a one-size-fits-all policy will not work in this area. While it is right for many disabled children to be educated alongside their peers, it is not the answer in all cases’.
Oxford Mail, May 19, 2004.

The education system in cities like Birmingham is failing children with Down’s Syndrome, according to new research published today. A report by the Down’s Syndrome Association claims victims suffer discrimination and ignorance during their school life and points to alleged failings of local education authorities and schools to make appropriate provisions. The result of the survey conducted in March of nearly 1,400 parents of Down’s children found 32 per cent. have experienced discrimination or prejudice from education professionals while 51 per cent. reported a lack of specialist knowledge and skills.
Birmingham Evening Mail, May 27, 2004.