Rising Exclusions Of Special Needs Children Prompts Call For Rethink Of "Inclusion" Drive

12.00.00pm GMT Sat 5th Jan 2008

Teachers' leaders have joined with Lib Dem MPs and campaigners to highlight the increasing numbers of children with special educational needs (SEN) being excluded from schools. Figures unearthed by Liberal Democrat Education spokesman David Laws MP show that over half of all exclusions now involve SEN pupils, up from 45 per cent four years ago, and throws into doubt the recent drive by Lewisham Council to increase the number of SEN children taught in mainstream schools rather than by specialist provision.

"Despite only making up a fifth of the school population, more than half of those children excluded have special educational needs," commented Mr Laws. "The policy is continuing to fail children who require extra individual support - not exclusion from school."

Lib Dem Lewisham West & Penge parliamentary spokesman, Cllr Alex Feakes, said: "Lewisham Council's plans mean that parents will have limited choices for where to school their child, and the mainstream options underfunded. Forced 'Inclusion' can lead to exclusion, and the children will suffer."

Cllr Feakes has joined with parents of children at local SEN schools such as Brent Knoll and Pendragon to campaign against Lewisham Council's plans to move children with SEN into mainstream schools against parent's wishes. "Parents of children with Special Educational Needs must have a real choice in the schooling available so that they can make the right decision for their child."

The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, which has campaigned against disruptive behaviour in school, said it was "concerned" that the drive for inclusion "can lead to these pupils and their teachers being deprived of the specialist support and advice to which they are entitled".

Mr Laws said: "I am concerned that ministers are not providing schools with the necessary support to integrate pupils with special needs into mainstream schools. This is likely to create behavioural problems which many headteachers simply don't have the resources to tackle."