Special needs education in the borough

Written by Vincent Cable MP and published in Informer on Wed 17th Jan 2007

This week I officially opened the new offices of local charity (SOS!SEN) which specialises in helping parents of children with special needs. Hundreds of them are at their wits end: trying and failing to get help; struggling with bureaucracy to secure their children's rights.

"Special needs" covers a wide variety of conditions ranging from physical disabilities to learning problems like dyslexia. Particular difficulties occur with children who may be very intelligent but have behaviour problems, like those on the autistic spectrum. The process of deciding whether children need extra help can be slow, complex and frustrating.

There has been a move recently to include children in mainstream schools rather than use special schools. In many cases, local schools are fine. In others, it is unsatisfactory for the children and the school. My step niece, Emily, suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). She is bright but hyperactive: manageable only with sedative drugs. She lagged badly in the local school where she drove her teachers to distraction; and is now flourishing in a special school. She dreads being returned to a 'normal' school. There must be variety and choice.

Our borough had, until recently, an indifferent reputation in this field. But the new autistic centres at Whitton and St. James represent a step forward. I visited Whitton School recently and was greatly impressed by the dedication of staff and the warm friendship of Whitton pupils with the autistic children.

In practice, special needs education can be very expensive, sometimes requiring one-to-one tuition. Councils resist the cost and try to get away with cheaper options. Parents then find themselves in emotionally draining and expensive legal battles over statements.

Having a helping hand, locally, is a great comfort to many such parents. The SOS!SEN helpline is 8979 8853.