Heads' call to keep special schools

Head teachers say that special schools can be the best option for pupils

Integrating special needs pupils into mainstream education should not be at the expense of losing special schools, say head teachers.

The National Association of Head Teachers says that special schools have experienced staff whose skills can benefit both their own specialist schools and mainstream schools.

And it says that for some pupils, a special school will remain a better option than a place in a mainstream school.

"Inclusive schooling is essential, but inclusion does not mean that all children should be placed in mainstream schools. The needs of a minority will be best met in a special school," says the head teachers' union.

The NAHT says that special schools have a "vital and continuing role" in efforts for greater inclusion among pupils with special needs.

There have been moves to encourage more special needs pupils, who might have a range of physical, behavioural or mental difficulties, to be taught in mainstream schools.

This has been an attempt to make special needs pupils feel less isolated and make them better socially-equipped for life beyond school.

But there have been protests from parents who have not wanted to see the closure of special schools. They have argued that specialist care can give their children a greater sense of security.

Cutting bureaucracy

Head teachers have also called for changes in the "statementing" system, through which funds for special needs pupils are obtained.

They argue that pupils should be able to qualify for extra funding without a statement (which is a "statement" of their special needs). And that statements should only apply to full-time places in special schools.

"Statementing of pupils is not a cost effective process. It has become a means of providing money, much of which is spent on bureaucracy surrounding the process rather than meeting the pupils' needs," says the head teachers' union.

"What is needed is a system that ensures that more pupils receive funding without having to resort to the statementing procedure.

"As many, including parents, would have concerns about abolishing statements entirely, a first step could be for them to become the norm only for pupils requiring full-time, special school placement.

"This would free up more funds to give better support to the vast majority who are in mainstream schools, instead of wasting it on bureaucracy."