§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on special needs teaching in Somerset, with special reference to the number of specialist teachers available. [40735]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisOffice for Standards in Education inspections of the Local Education Authority and schools indicate that overall the Local Education Authority's strategy for special educational needs is sound. There is a higher than average proportion of good provision for special educational needs pupils in mainstream schools. The number of statements maintained by the Local Education Authority has been declining each year since 1996 and the number of pupils in special schools has decreased to 1 per cent. The national average is 1.3 per cent.