Ruth Kelly statement: full text

"All of my children have been educated in the state sector for all of their school lives.

"It had been my intention for that to continue.

"However, one of my children has been assessed as having particular and substantial learning difficulties.

"The professional advice I received was that he needed specific specialist support as soon as possible. Like any parent, my first thought was to do the right thing for my child.

"Acting on professional advice - which the local authority accepts - I am placing my son in a school that will be able to meet his particular needs.

"He will attend this school for a couple of years before he begins at a state secondary school.

"It is not uncommon for pupils with substantial learning difficulties to spend some time outside the state sector to help them progress - sometimes this is paid for by the local authority.

"In my case, I have not and will not seek the help of the local authority in meeting these costs.

"All my other children will continue to be educated at the school my son previously attended.

"I would like to thank the local authority, the school and its teachers for all of the help and support they have provided to me as a parent and, most importantly, to my son and I pay tribute to their professionalism.

"I appreciate that some will disagree with my decision. I understand why, but we all face difficult choices as parents and I, like any mother, want to do the right thing for my son - that has been my sole motivation.

"Bringing up children in the public eye is never easy. It is particularly difficult when dealing with details of individual circumstances which any family would want to deal with privately.

"I had hoped that would be the case regarding my son. And I am sure any parent will understand my reasons for not wanting to go into any more detail than I have to as a result of today's publicity."