§ Mr. AshdownTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his estimate of the percentage of children with moderate learning difficulties who are fully included in education in mainstream schools in each local education authority in England; and if he will make a statement. [107672]
§ Jacqui SmithInformation by specific types of learning difficulty is not collected centrally.
However, in January 1999, returns of the Annual Schools' Census showed that, in England, 59 per cent. of all pupils with statements of SEN were being educated in mainstream schools.
§ Mr. AshdownTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the inclusion of children with moderate learning difficulties in mainstream schools. [107671]
§ Jacqui SmithPromoting the inclusion of children with learning difficulties within mainstream schools, where parents want it and appropriate support can be provided, is a cornerstone of the Government's special educational needs strategy. The education of children with special needs is a key challenge for the nation, and critical to the creation of a fully inclusive society. There are strong educational, as well as social and moral, grounds for educating pupils with special needs or disabilities with their peers.
504WThe SEN/Disability Rights Bill—which will be introduced later this session—will strengthen the right to a mainstream place for pupils with special needs. Where parents want a mainstream setting for their child our policy is to try to provide it. Equally, when parents want a specialist setting for their child it is important that their wishes are respected. Our approach has been practical, not dogmatic. We are advocating inclusion by choice and have underlined that there remains a continuing and vital role for special schools. The key objective must be to safeguard the interests of all children and to ensure that they achieve to their full potential.