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Education and Skills Bill

moved Amendment No. 226: 226: After Clause 129, insert the following new Clause— ““Restrictions on special school closures (1) No special school shall be closed by a local authority without the consent of the Secretary of State. (2) The Secretary of State shall only consent to the closure of a special school if there are places at nearby special schools in sufficient number and of sufficient quality adequately to replace the places at the closed school.”” The noble Baroness said: I am very encouraged by the debate that was sparked last Thursday by the amendment of my noble friend Lord Elton and I hope that that spirit will continue in response to my amendment. It is Conservative Party policy to have a moratorium on the closure of special schools but I do not think that this should be an issue that divides us on party lines. As we have debated the main issues of the Bill it has become very apparent that one of the key problems affecting participation rates in schools is the failure to engage in education. One of the core reasons for that, as we discussed on Thursday and before, is that some of those children with special educational needs are slipping through the net. The results of that are disastrous and spread much wider than the individual concerned. As my noble friend Lord Elton said last week, some 20 to 30 per cent of offenders have learning difficulties or learning disabilities. I recognise the Minister’s commitment to this area, but whatever we are doing at the moment to help children with special needs, it is not enough. I do not think that a policy in favour of inclusion of SEN children in mainstream schools is always appropriate. Parents need a proper choice of the most appropriate education for their child’s needs. If mainstream education is suitable, it is right that the child should be educated there, but if a special school would most benefit the child, parents should not be denied that option. This comes down to giving as much choice to parents as we can to allow them access, if they need and want it, to the school that is best suited to the needs of their child. It is plain that that will not be possible if special schools continue to close. If such a school must close, my amendment suggests that the Secretary of State must have ascertained that there are sufficient equivalent places available nearby. I urge the Minister to consider this amendment in the light of what we are all trying to achieve with the Bill. I beg to move.