Special Schools

HC Deb 19 March 2003 vol 401 cc777-8W

Mr. Damian Green

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special schools have been operating for(a) visually and (b) hearing impaired children in each year since 1995. [102561]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

The following table sets out the number of special schools operating for visually impaired (VI) and hearing impaired (HI) children.

	VI	HI	VI/HI/MSI	Total
1995	24	43	82	149
1996	24	43	82	149
1997	24	43	82	149
1998	24	43	81	148
1999	24	43	81	148
2000	24	43	80	147
2001	24	43	79	146
2002	23	42	79	144
2003	23	42	79	144

In addition to VI and HI schools the table identifies the special schools that make a combination of provision, which may also include multi-sensory impairment (MSI).