Special Educational Needs Not Being Properly Addressed

Liberal Democrat Councillor Mark Watkin, Opposition Spokesperson for Education, challenged Hertfordshire County Council's Executive Member for Education, Conservative Councillor Frances Button, to explain how services will address the needs of specific groups who cannot cope with schools, such as high achieving children with autism. She failed to do so. Instead she repeated the standard response that they could either attend a Moderate Learning Difficulty school; or have home help; or attend a mainstream school - none of which will adequately meet the needs of many of these children.

"What parents of such children have pointed out time and time again is that there needs to be a special unit or school where they can get an appropriate education. The new scheme for providing Special Needs Education does not allow for this", stated Cllr Mark Watkin. "There could be hundreds of such children across the County but they are submerged under the needs of larger groups who receive all the funding."