The number of children with autism in Inverclyde has quadrupled since 1998. Education officials predict there will not be enough places at Inverclyde’s schools next year to provide support for youngsters with the condition. They say drastic action, which would cost the council around £166,000 a year, is needed to develop the service to cope with demand . There are currently 48 children going to schools in Inverclyde who are diagnosed with autism or Asperger’s syndrome. In March 1998, just 11 pupils had been diagnosed with these conditions which have also become more common nationally.
Greenock Telegraph , January 4, 2003.

In cutting-edge schools such as those in the South East England Virtual Education Action Zone (www.-seeveaz.intranets.com), the advantages of ICT jump out at you. Teachers use laptops and wireless networking with interactive virtual whiteboards so that special needs pupils can go back to a lesson’s board at any time afterwards and run over the work as many times as necessary with their support assistants or special needs teachers. Lessons tailored to specific types of child need can also be easily swapped and shared between teachers.
The Guardian (Education), January 7, 2003.

Education authorities face a growing revolt over attempts to teach vulnerable children in mainstream schools. The Special School Protection League started locally but is tapping into a national concern. When parents complain to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal about their child’s education around half are asking for a place at a special school of some kind. Professor Brahm Norwich, from Exeter University , an authority on special educational needs, believes it is unrealistic to aim for the abolition of the special sector , despite a vigorous campaign from disability action groups for just that. With Ingrid Lunt of London University’s Institute of Education, he conducted a study that suggested only 42 secondary schools in England and Wales were capable of taking on large numbers of special needs pupils and maintaining strong academic results at the same time. Until now parents whose children attend special schools have lacked a strong voice. The Special School Protection League hopes to change that.
Sunday Times (News Review), January 5, 2003.

In its first annual report, ‘Making Things Happen Better’, the Learning Disability Task Force has urged the health service to make sure that the remaining learning disability hospitals in England are closed . There are 21 hospitals remaining, accommodating some 1,000 people. A target of April 2004 has been set for the final closures but there is concern that half will still be open by the deadline.
The Guardian (Society) January 15, 2003.

Head teachers have strongly criticised shock plans to cut the number of special schools in Waltham Forest by a third . The closures will save around £2.5 million for Waltham Forest Council which is struggling with an overspent budget. Hawkswood, Brookfield House, and Joseph Clarke schools are all under threat of closure. The head teachers say they believe that moving special needs children into mainstream schools will not help them integrate into society .
Leytonsone Guardian , January 16, 2003.

The deaf state school student who was turned down by Oxford despite having been awarded six As at A level has won a place at Cambridge . Anastasia Fedotova , whose rejection from a mathematics course at Brasenose College renewed controversy over the university’s admissions policies, has been accepted by Trinity College. It has a reputation for choosing many of the finest mathematical brains.
The Times , January 17, 2003.

A charity is urging Bolton schools to be more aware of the needs of disabled people. The John Groom Organisation has developed a hard-hitting teacher’s guide, ‘Just Like Us’which will be distributed to every school in the North-west. The pack and website contain a selection of lesson plans and classroom resources that encourage youngsters to question their definitions of disability and honestly appraise their attitudes towards disabled people. The executive director of John Groom, the Rev. Michael Shaw, said: ‘The biggest disabling aspect of many disabled peoples’ lives is other peoples’ attitudes from adult preconceptions about disability to playground taunts’.
Bolton Evening News, January 21, 2003.