§ Mr. Wrayasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the proposed tests for 11 to 14-year-old schoolchildren will take into account the problems of children with special needs.
§ Mrs. RumboldYes. The Government's proposals for a national curriculum in England and Wales envisage that, for a pupil with a statement of special need under the Education Act 1981, that statement should specify any modifications to the statutory requirements for attainment targets, programmes of study and arrangements for assessment and testing during each key educational stage, that would be appropriate for that child. The regulations governing each of the foundation subjects would also define any circumstances in which those requirements might be modified, for example for pupils with severe language difficulties. The respective subject working groups and the task group on assessment and testing have been asked to pay attention to these issues, and generally to the range of pupils' abilities, when framing their recommendations. In these ways children will be able to enjoy the maximum benefit from the national curriculum while due account is taken of their special needs.
§ Mr. Wrayasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he will be taking to ensure that children with special needs will be protected against discrimination in the event of schools being allowed to opt out of local authority control.
§ Mr. DunnIt is not our intention that the operation of our policy on grant-maintained schools should in any way prejudice the position of children with special educational needs. The admission policies of all grant-maintained schools will require the approval of my right hon. Friend.