SUPPORT FOR SPECIAL SCHOOLS

Early day motion 539, tabled 6 July 2005 by Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Conservative). Signed by 84 members.

That this House believes that special schools play a vital role in meeting the needs of children with learning difficulties, and that parents should have more choice between special and mainstream schools; welcomes the recent pamphlet by Baroness Warnock on the impact of the inclusion agenda; further believes that the Government should now hold a proper review of the provision of special educational needs to cover concerns about the statementing process, the continued closure of special schools, concerns about bias in the law and central government pressure to pursue policies of inclusion when they are not always appropriate; and calls for a moratorium on special school closures until such a review has been published and properly debated.

Signatures by party: Conservative 67, Labour 8, DUP 3, Liberal Democrat 3, Plaid Cymru 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1, UUP 1.