Letter to East Anglian Daily Times, published 28th October 2004

"OFSTED's claim that there has been no growth in the proportion of children with statements of special education needs in mainstream classes is misleading (Inclusion can make children feel left out EADT 6/10/4). The proportion of children with SEN in mainstream classes has increased greatly. The reduction is in the number of formal "Statements".

This is part of LEA policy to remove any obstacle to integration, regardless of the ability of a school to make proper provision or the wishes of the parents. Statements used to say which specialist provision should be made available to meet a child's needs. They often stipulated a "special" placement. This gave parents rights and expectations. But as specialist provision disappeared, so did the options.

When Suffolk announced closure of its only EBD Residential School at Oakwood, suddenly no pupils required EBD residential provision. In 2003, Suffolk announced closure of all Area Support Classes which were part of mainstream schools but provided successful, integrated specialist help for a wide range of special needs. Once again, children suddenly stopped "requiring" ASC support.

As your article suggests, special units attached to mainstream schools are extremely successful, very much supported by parents, teachers and NUT. Unfortunately, the Hearing-Impaired Units are just about the last remnants of Suffolk LEA's specialist provision outside Special Schools and Pupil Referral Units.

Placing virtually all children in mainstream classes, whatever their learning, communicative, behavioural or emotional needs, places impossible burdens on the class teacher, other pupils in the class and the individual child with those needs. Class teachers and assistants always do their utmost to make up for the lack of specialist provision, often at some detriment to their own health, but children inappropriately included in a mainstream class simply cannot receive the full-time, high quality, specialist attention that was available in a special setting with specialist staffing and resources.

OFSTED is at last suggesting a re-think about inappropriate inclusion. But Suffolk, despite pleas from the NUT to think again, abolished its 51 Area Support Classes in April 2004 and has now redeployed, or lost, all that expertise.

- Martin Goold Secretary, Suffolk Division of the National Union of Teachers 1 Gainsborough Road BURY ST EDMUNDS