 | Victory For Kingsmead Special Needs Centre |
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Victory For Kingsmead Special Needs Centre
Mark Formosa, Conservative Spokesman for Taunton Constituency, praised the determination and resolve of local parents who, through people power, have saved the Special Educational Needs Centre at Kingsmead School in Wiveliscombe.
The SOC (Schools Organisation Committee) threw out the County Councils proposal to close the centre of excellence today (Tuesday afternoon 11/7/06).
Members of S.E.N.S.E, the group of local parents opposing the closures, spoke against the closures, along with Mark Formosa, who made a speech defending the rights of local parents to choose where their children are educated, and condemned the policies of both the Department for Education, and the ruling group on the County Executive.
Mark Formosa made the following speech:
‘ “I have already made written representation to this committee and I wish to make the additional following points.”
“Both the Department for Education and the County Executive have adopted a philosophy that integration is everything, and parents’ wishes and their knowledge of their “The proposed changes are unbalanced; they favour mainstream education unfairly and they limit choice for parents.”
“The County Executive has looked upon the SEN bases within Taunton Deane as one job lot, and has refused to accept that Kingsmead and Ruishton are different from schools such as Courtfields in Wellington”.
“It should be noted that the very people who are instrumental in the proposed shutting down of this valuable service did not visit the centres before taking the decision to send the proposal to this committee.”
“I therefore do not believe that this was an informed decision”.
“This comes at a time when many children are being placed inappropriately in mainstream schools.”
“The proposed closure of highly cost effective systems of SEN education, that OFSTED themselves describe as “excellent”, is crassidous, and indefensible and I can’t imagine why anyone would support it, because I wouldn’t.”
“If the centres at Kingsmead School and at Ruishton are closed, then I believe that this will result in many local children with special needs having the quality of their education degraded. This will have serious long term consequences for the children concerned, and I urge the committee to refuse the proposal”.
Mark Formosa said after the meeting: “The local parents who set up S.E.N.S.E have won this victory through sheer determination and resolve. This is a victory for people power and S.E.N.S.E, and is an example to us all.” ‘
ENDS
 
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