HC Deb 16 May 1973 vol 856 cc337-8W
Mr. Haselhurst

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many of the 15,487 children awaiting admission to special schools in England and Wales as at 1st January 1972 will be accommodated as a result of the improved allocation for special school buildings announced in the White Paper, "A Framework for Expansion".

Mr. St. John-Stevas

The new places provided in the accelerated building programmes for special schools should substantially exceed that total. There is, however, no direct correlation between the present waiting list and the future demand for special school places. The balance of provision between handicaps will be related to need.

Mr. Haselhurst

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she is satisfied that the present categories of SSN and ESN schools cater most effectively for the variety of children who qualify for admission to them.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

Provision for severely mentally handicapped children, now known as the ESN (Severe), is at present almost always in separate schools. A few special schools however exist or are being planned for both groups of ESN children in two departments. The educational needs of the two groups tend to differ, and a range of experiments is desirable to determine how far provision for them can be integrated.

Mr. Haselhurst

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the criteria for determining that a child is in need of special education; and whether she is satisfied that they are sufficiently all-embracing.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

It is for local education authorities to determine which children in their areas are in need of special education. They generally do so on the basis of special examinations. The Department, in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Security, intends in due course to issue guidance to authorities on the assessment of handicapped children. This will draw attention to the need for a broadly-based appraisal of medical, psychological, educational and social factors.