Tory leader backs special schools

Iain Duncan Smith called for a national debate

Iain Duncan Smith has taken the unusual step for a party leader of opening a Westminster debate on a constituency issue - a reorganisation of special needs education.

The Tory leader said special schools in the borough of Waltham Forest in north-east London were faced with closure, including two in his Chingford and Woodford Green constituency.

The two - Joseph Clarke and Hawkswood - have fallen foul of the council's plans to integrate the children into mainstream education, in accordance with government policy.

Mr Duncan Smith said: "There is a real need to rethink this nationally and locally.

"We need to have a proper, serious debate about how we deal with children with special needs and how we deal with them in mainstream schools."

Petition

The issue has long been dividing communities, with some educationists and parents arguing forcefully that "inclusive" education benefits all children - with and without special needs - and others saying it puts vulnerable children at risk.

Parents have been mounting a protest campaign

Mr Duncan Smith accused Waltham Forest of not having carried out a proper consultation.

He was watched by about 30 parents and teachers from the threatened schools as he paid tribute to their "overwhelming passion" to retain special needs education. A petition to the council was signed by 30,000 people.

Mr Duncan Smith said integration savings had been explained but not the cost of providing facilities such as Braille or specialist teaching in mainstream schools.

The government had said it wanted inclusion, he said.

"How do you do this for children with real difficulties?"

'Balance'

Mr Duncan Smith said: "How we treat children with special needs speaks volumes about us as a society and MPs.

"Overcoming disabilities is awe-inspiring and humbling - we owe it to these children to think again."

In reply, the Minister for Children, Margaret Hodge, said the government tried to strike a balance between a specialist environment for children and offering a mainstream choice.

"The way in which we cater for children with special educational needs is a hall mark of whether we have an inclusive education system ... in which every child can develop their potential."

Mrs Hodge said Waltham Forest Council was being urged to consult parents over the future of special needs schools but ultimately the closure issue was not a government matter and would have to be resolved by an independent adjudicator.

The council has said that more than a third of its 650 special needs places are taken by pupils who live outside the borough.