Academy special schools requested

Academy status should be available to special schools, say campaigners

Schools for children with special educational needs in England should be able to gain academy status, says an autism campaign group.

Autistic children should have equal access to schools being promoted as "state of the art", says Ivan Corea of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK.

At present, Mr Corea says it is unclear how special schools could be academies.

The government says they cannot, because they are not allowed to select which pupils they will admit.

'World class'

Mr Corea says academies could provide better funded, privately sponsored schools for autistic pupils.

"Gordon Brown says that every child deserves a world class education - but children with autism also deserve this too," says Mr Corea.

And if the government holds up academies as its flagship schools, then Mr Corea argues that special schools should also be able to acquire this status - providing an academy for pupils with autism.

Extra funding could improve resources and facilities for autistic pupils, he says, and there would be the additional support of private sponsors.

But Mr Corea says there is a "grey area" over whether or how special schools could opt into the academy programme.

'Struggle'

The Conservative Party last month published a policy document on special needs education - and also called for academy status for special schools.

Many families with autistic children face a "huge struggle" to find an appropriate education, Mr Corea says, with many finding places in mainstream schools without specialist units for autism.

Mr Corea says there should be a 10-year national plan to support young people with autism.

There are plans for 400 academies, so-called "independent state schools" which have the support of a sponsor from business, university, faith or community organisation.

They are usually located in areas with a record of educational underachievement.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families said academies had to provide education for pupils of different abilities drawn wholly or partly from their local area.

"Academies cannot select on any basis, and to only take pupils with autism for example, would essentially involve selection," a spokeswoman said.

"There are academies that have units that cater for autistic children for example or children with a hearing impairment but this is quite different from being a ?special academy?," she added.