The cost to the taxpayer of sending pupils to private special schools has soared past half a billion pounds a year due to rising demand for the most expensive care. The rising costs have come despite the fact than local authorities are paying for fewer pupils to attend independent and non-maintained special schools that they did two years ago. Since 2003 the number of these placements for young people aged up to 19 has dropped by 6 per cent. but the average fees have risen by nearly a fifth to £49,570 per child. However, there has been a big increase in demand for residential care, costing local taxpayers more than £200,000 per pupil each year. An estimated 161 children receive this support, often consisting of 24-hour supervision by two or more staff members, which is nearly five times as many as two years ago. There are at least four pupils in England whose placements cost more than £500,000 a year each because of their extreme disabilities or behavioural problems. The figures were revealed in an annual survey by the 11 SEN regional partnerships set up by the Government.
Times Educational Supplement, November 11, 2005

Being accepted by their classmates can be crucial to the successful integration of children with special needs into mainstream schools. This is the finding of a book, ‘Snapshots of Possibilities’, published by the Alliance For Inclusive Education, which highlights successful strategies used by 21 primary and secondary schools, all with effective inclusion policies. Micheline Mason, director of the Alliance, said: ‘For a child to feel included they need friends. They need not to be bullied. Teachers can’t ensure that. Only other children can. This is an important part of their education. It gives children the ability to build a better community, which they can take away into adult life. It teaches them to include’.
Times Educational Supplement, November 11, 2005

The system of independent state schools envisaged in the Government’s latest set of education reforms will leave pupils with special needs out in the cold, campaigners fear. Special education is one of the most contentious areas of education but last month’s long awaited white paper made comparatively few references to it. Some argue that the problems caused by the push to educate special needs pupils in mainstream schools have been ignored. Even supporters of inclusion believe greater school autonomy and a changed role for local authorities is likely to lead to fewer resources.
Times Educational Supplement, November 11, 2005

Faith secondary schools take significantly fewer pupils with emotional, behavioural and physical difficulties than other state schools, official figures reveal. The Department of Education and Skills statistics show 17.1 per cent of children at non-religious secondaries this year have special needs compared to 14.1 per cent. at faith secondaries. They also show that 18.9 per cent. of those at secular primaries have special needs compared to 16 per cent. at faith based primaries. Earlier this year, The TES revealed that Anglican and Catholic schools take fewer children from deprived backgrounds. The latest statistics will reinforce the view of critics that some faith schools out-perform their secular neighbours by covertly selecting the brightest pupils.
Times Educational Supplement, November 11, 2005

Fellgate Primary School is unique in South Tyneside… it has a 30-place autistic unit attached to it. It opened in Jarrow in 1999 and caters for children aged 3 to 11 with autistic spectrum disorder. The children come from all over the borough and have a range of difficulties, from Asperger’s syndrome to non-verbal communication. Special tests sat by pupils in the autistic unit put it in the top 25 per cent nationally for children with ASD. Primary school pupils also do well in national tests, exceeding the national average in English, maths and science standard assessment tests (SATS). However, when it comes to league tables, Fellgate appears in the bottom half because results from the ASD pupils are included. Last year it came 41st in South Tyneside but if the autistic unit is taken out of the equation, it should have been 13th. The school prides itself on 100 per cent integration with mainstream pupils working with ASD pupils in the unit and in the school.
Shields Gazette, November 18, 2005

Two schools in Crowborough have been celebrating this week following a £3.6million windfall for new state-of-the-art facilities. Beacon Community College and Grove Park Special School will share sites following the announcement by East Sussex Council. Under the scheme sixth formers from Beacon will move out of its Beeches site to another base where over-16s from Grove Park will also have new accommodation. Meanwhile 11 to 16-year-olds from both schools will be located on the Beeches site. Beeches will also have new dining accommodation, a youth centre, sports facilities and dance and drama facilities which both schools will share. There will also be specialist facilities for youngsters with autistic spectrum disorder from Grove Park as well as an outreach ASD facility for local schools Both schools will keep their separate status but it is expected that combining resources and expertise will create a more flexible curriculum and a richer environment.
Kent and Sussex Courier, November 18, 2005

The way children with special needs are educated must be overhauled a commission set up by the Conservatives said today. The report called for a moratorium on the closure of special schools and an urgent review of the entire system for teaching children with learning difficulties in England. The Commission recommended an end to the current process of ‘statementing’ by which council’s record a child’s needs after assessing their condition. The commissions interim findings recommended a new system replacing statements with ‘special needs profiles’ drawn up by accredited assessors. Pupils would be allocated extra money for their education and could take the funds either to a special school for children with special needs or to a mainstream school.
PA News Wire, November 29, 2005