Fury at plan to shut special schools

A major row erupted today over a flagship Tory council's plans to close two popular special schools.

Wandsworth council has caused fury by pressing ahead with plans to close the schools in the face of parental opposition. Families fear their children will be bullied and denied specialist help if they are forced to go to mainstream schools.

They accuse Wandsworth of flouting shadow education secretary David Cameron's call for a halt to special school closures.

Wandsworth says it is responding to changing parental demand.

But Malcolm Grimston, the councillor in charge of education in Wandsworth, admitted some parents were unhappy with the decision to close Chartfield School in Putney and the likely move to shut The Vines School in Battersea.

Although Chartfield's site will be taken over by another special school catering for pupils with severe disabilities, The Vines' site in Battersea will be sold to developers if the council votes for closure.

Wandsworth said all proceeds would go towards the ?11 million "reorganisation" of special education in the borough. Ninety special schools have closed since 1997 and the Tories are demanding the Government reviews the policy of "inclusion" that has seen more children with special educational needs sent into the mainstream system.

The debate over the right approach erupted again this month when Baroness Warnock, the architect of the inclusion policy, said it had gone too far and left a " disastrous legacy".

Mr Cameron, who is poised to enter the Tory leadership race, has warned that the "war to restore common sense" is "far from over". He has talked about his battle to get a special school place for his twoyearold son Ivan, who has severe epilepsy and cerebral palsy, and accuses the Government of "being on the wrong side" in the debate.

Wandsworth's shake-up of its special schools will lead to a net loss of 70 places. But Mr Grimston said Wandsworth would still have more state special school places per head of its pupil population than any other London borough.

He added Wandsworth is " absolutely committed" to special schools. Parents and teachers warned some children who will be affected by the closures were bullied in mainstream schools. The Vines head Lorraine Boyle said many arrived very traumatised by mainstream schools.

Author Douglas Kennedy, whose autistic son is a pupil at Chartfield School, said: "I can vouch for the fact that Wandsworth council was ruthless in its determination to close the school." Mr Grimston said Chartfield had been losing pupils for years as more parents opted for mainstream schools. Meanwhile, demand for special schools catering for more complex and serious physical needs was going up, he said.