§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list any research projects on the implementation of the Education Act 1981 known to his Department other than those commissioned by his Department; and if, in each case, he will give (a) a brief description of the project, (b) the publication date of the final report and (c) any subsequent action taken by the Department.
§ Mr. DunnMy right hon. Friend is aware of only two such projects
'Effectiveness of Locational Integration for Children with Special Educational Needs': a 15-month project funded by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. It cost £22,128 and was based at University College, Cardiff under the direction of Dr. G. Upton. It focused on children with moderate learning difficulties in four LEAs in South Wales and its aim was to measure the extent to which local integration led to social and functional integration. The project ended June 1986 and the draft Report is currently under consideration. A decision on publication has yet to be taken.'Screening and Special Educational Provisions in Schools': a three-year project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. It cost £100,230 and was based at the University of London Institute of Education under the direction of Professor H. Goldstein. It involved the major application of standardised testing in primary schools to identify children who may be in need of special attention or teaching and investigated both screening and provision for special educational needs within the classroom. The final report is currently under consideration by ESRC and is expected to be published in due course.Mr. Carter-Jones asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the research projects on the implementation of the Education Act 1981 sponsored by his Department; and if, in each case, he will give (a) a brief description of the project, (b) the publication date of the final report and (c) any subsequent action taken by his Department.
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§ Mr. DunnMy right hon. Friend has sponsored four research projects concerned with implementation of the Education Act 1981:
- Meeting Special Educational Needs — Support for the Ordinary School: National Foundation for Educational Research.
- Project Impact — In-service Education and Special Educational Needs: Manchester University/Huddersfield Polytechnic.
- Education Act 1981: Policy and Provision for Special Educational Needs: University of London Institute of Education.
- Education Act 1981: Development of Training Materials for Use on a Multi-Professional Basis in the Management of Change in the Special Needs Field: University of London Institute of Education. (This project is jointly funded with DHSS).
The NFER project examined ways in which ordinary schools, by re-structuring and by drawing on external resources, can enhance their capacity to educate children with special educational needs. Project impact evaluated a transbinary regional modular diploma leading to an advanced specialist qualification in special educational needs. Policy and provision for special education needs was concerned with procedures adopted by LEAs to implement the provisions of the Act and the impact of these on district health authorities, social services departments, voluntary organisations, parents and the children concerned. The findings of these three projects were the subject of a major dissemination seminar in November 1986 and were presented to the Department on 31 December 1986.
The fourth project began in October 1986 and will run for two years.
The Department is studying the findings of the first three projects. Any further action must await the outcome of the inquiry by the Select Committee for Education, Science and the Arts into special education.