PLANS by Central Regional Council to integrate all pupils with special
needs into mainstream schools have attracted the attention of the Tory
MP for Stirling, Mr Michael Forsyth. He calls the plans stupid.
Three schools are involved. The primary section of Dawson Park school
in Falkirk is scheduled to close in the next school year; the 35-pupil
Whins of Milton School in Stirling is earmarked for closure in 1997/98;
and Rossvail special school in Falkirk is due to close towards the end
of the century.
In a letter yesterday to Councillor Corrie McChord, leader of the
Labour-controlled council, Mr Forsyth described the proposals as
''nothing short of destructive dogma''.
He said: ''I can only imagine the anxiety caused to parents by these
stupid proposals, and hope that the council will take the earliest
possible opportunity to announce that they will be abandoned.''
After visiting the Whins of Milton school at the request of parents,
Mr Forsyth said: ''I'm astonished and dismayed to see that the region is
proposing to close all the special schools in its area and to end
parental choice by ensuring that parents have only one option, and that
is to send their children to mainstream schools.''
There was a case for educating children with learning difficulties
within mainstream schools, but an equally good case for retaining
special schools as an option.
''To consider closing a school such as Whins of Milton is an act of
dogma, which is being proposed by an educational authority which will
cease to exist in 12 months' time.
''It's a mystery to me why an education authority would want to
destroy facilities which are doing an excellent job, and have done for
many years.''
Councillor McChord described Mr Forsyth's views as incredible.
He said the MP, now a Minister at the Home Office, had backed
integration while he was Scottish Education Minister, and the Scottish
Office Education Department's policy since 1981 had been that children
with moderate learning difficulties should be provided with support to
stay in mainstream education.
He said the integration had been wholeheartedly endorsed by Mr
Forsyth's successor, Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, as recently as May
1993 in a speech to the Scottish Conference of the National Association
for Special Educational Needs.
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