§ Mr. TruswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the(a) advantages and (b) disadvantages of including special schools for children with profound learning disabilities in performance league tables. [37462]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisWe are committed to making school performance tables as clear and helpful as possible. They should reflect the achievements of all pupils, including the achievements of those with profound learning disabilities. Secondary school tables list special schools in a separate section, and we are currently consulting on measures to ensure that the secondary tables as a whole give a more complete picture of achievement across the board.
§ Mr. TruswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the relevance of the National Curriculum and OFSTED inspections to schools for children with profound learning disabilities. [37461]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisWe have high expectations for all children including those with special educational needs. Ofsted inspections indentify schools' strengths and weaknesses so that they may improve the quality of the education they provide and raise the standards achieved by their pupils. Teams inspecting special schools must include expertise in the main types of special educational need represented in the school as well as the ability to ensure reasonable sampling of the subjects across the age range of pupils at the school.
All children are entitled to participate in the National Curriculum and we are committed to ensuring that it is accessible and relevant to pupils with special educational needs. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has issued guidance on a variety of approaches to present the National Curriculum to pupils with profound and multiple difficulties. Many special schools have already successfully challenged low expectations and differentiated the curriculum to meet a wide range of needs.