Special Needs Petition presented to Council
27 March 2007
Charlotte Leslie presented her petition to protect Special Schools, and made a statement to a full Council meeting today.
Charlotte Leslie, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Bristol North West, presented her petition to protect Special Schools, and made a statement to a full Council meeting today.
The petition calls for the council to abandon plans to close one of Bristol's special schools and attracted over 600 signatories, with support still flooding in.
Charlotte was joined by parents and supporters outside the Council House who had gathered to protest against any closures.
Charlotte Leslie said, "I am pleased the Council is conducting a review of special educational needs. Bristol has one of the worst records on meeting parents' wishes for children with SEN in the country. So a review is long over-due. But the review is not so welcome if it is just another way to smuggle in more cut-backs and to close down one of our special schools."
"This petition calls on the council to guarantee that they will not close any of the special schools in Bristol, which currently do a fantastic job."
"There is a myth that special schooling means less inclusion. That's wrong. Not only do special schools look after children in a special school setting, but they also support children with special needs in the mainstream where appropriate. It would be madness to close one of them down. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it! "
"I have been completely overwhelmed by the level of support for my petition. Parents know how badly we need to keep our special schools. The Council should listen to them."
Statement:
This petition calls on the council to safeguard places at special schools in Bristol, whilst recognising the great benefits inclusion in mainstream schools can have for many children.
I ask the Council to note the high standards of special schools in Bristol, and further note the seminal role that special schools have in successfully and flexibly promoting inclusion where appropriate.
Special Schools and the inclusion agenda should walk hand in hand. Better inclusion for children in mainstream schools does not mean getting rid of highly performing special schools.
I also draw the full council's attention to the fact that Bristol City Council currently has one of the highest rates of appeals to SENDIST, the Special Educational Needs and Disablity Tribunal in the country. Discounting London Boroughs, which have historically operated under a slightly different system, Bristol City Council has the second worst record of appeals in the country. Parents who cannot afford to go private to ensure that their children's needs are met have nowhere left to turn.
We would all agree that our parents deserve better, therefore I welcome a review of Special Educational Needs provision in the city, provided that:
*Cost-cutting imperatives do not compromise the education of our most vulnerable children.
*And provided that the review does not put political ideology before children's best interests, and does not artificially reduce the need for statementing, thereby strangling special schools by back door methods.
Further to my concerns regarding statementing, I also note with concern that according to the scrutiny commission's report, the Council has been with-holding parent's statutory rights to an assessment for a statement last year. I ask the council to consider fully the effects this will have had for individuals and parents of children with special educational needs as well as the considerable statutory implications.
A single written signature cannot express the depth of feeling with which it is signed, but the passionate support for Bristol's special schools that I have encountered has been overwhelming. This petition calls on the Council to listen to the views and wishes of parents in Bristol, recognise the invaluable role our special schools play for so many children, and guarantee the protection of our special schools, and those children who benefit from them, in its special educational needs review.