Tory leader joins schools protest

Iain Duncan Smith hands over the petition

The Conservative Party leader took to the streets as he joined parents and teachers in march against the closure of special needs schools.

Iain Duncan Smith MP joined the demonstrators, which included children, in Waltham Forest, north-east London.

They handed over a petition of 20,000 signatures to the council which is planning to close three schools in Mr Duncan Smith's constituency of Chingford and Woodford Green.

The council says it needs to reorganise special educational needs (SEN) provision due to Government policy and denies the closures are for economic reasons.

Teachers and parents fear moving SEN pupils to mainstream schools will not be the best move for the children.

'No benefit'

The council says all money saved will be put back into educating children with special needs at mainstream schools.

But the Tory leader told BBC London: "I don't believe that, I'm afraid.

"What will happen is that the money will be siphoned off into other areas, mostly to sure-up a very frail budget here, and these children will not benefit."

Of the borough's six SEN schools three will remain open.

Protesters marched to the Town Hall

A fourth will be created through the closure and merger of the other three schools.

The schools under threat of closure are Hawkswood School, in Yardley Lane, Chingford, Brookfield House in Woodford Green and Joseph Clarke School in Vincent Road, Chingford.

A statement from the council and EduAction, the private company which runs education services said: "The reorganisation will need to address the government's policy, to where possible, encourage children with special education needs to attend mainstream schools."

The council says more than a third of the 650 SEN places are taken by pupils who live outside the borough.