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Top educator clairfies position on school for special needs children

The Ministry for Education and Development last night wished to clarify its position on plans for a separate school for children with severe special needs after hearing of concerns by a worried parent.

Chief Education Officer Dr. Joseph Christopher was responding to a letter sent to both the Ministry and The Royal Gazette from "A Very Special Parent" earlier this month.

The mother had become concerned after hearing of proposals to set up a new facility where children with the most intense special needs may go, if their parents wished.

The mother said her child had done very well in a mainstream school and was concerned that her child would be moved out into a separate facility against her wishes.

But Dr. Christopher said: "Let me state first and foremost that the Ministry of Education has no intention of forcing students with special needs to attend a special school.

"We are delighted to hear that this child has done so well in a mainstream school. Most students with special needs benefit from being part of a mainstream school and the student body, as a whole, is richer for including them.

"There are, however, a very small number of students who have what we call "intense" needs. These are children who are unlikely ever to be able to live independently in the community. They need more than three hours of support each day, they are unable to dress themselves, they cannot follow directions or focus on where they are going, and cannot register danger."

Dr. Christopher said the parents of some of these students had expressed concerns that their children were not best served by the mainstream schools.

He added: "It is in response to their concerns that we are considering whether they would be better served in a special school. We are not suggesting that all students with intense needs must attend this school - rather, we are looking at ways to offer parents the choice.

"I hope that her concerns have now been addressed and wish to assure her and other parents that we regard their views as very important and aim to respond to enquiries as quickly as possible."

The proposals by Education Minister Paula Cox have been welcomed by the Bermuda Union of Teachers and some headteachers. They each said that many children had improved in mainstream schools, but said for the most extreme cases, it did not work.

They agreed that a special facility should be provided for those parents that wanted one.

However, Shadow Education Minister Tim Smith disagreed with the principle of moving any children out of mainstream schools, and said if their surroundings in mainstream classrooms were not suitable, then separate classrooms within the mainstream schools should be provided.