Hansard

I am neither the convener nor the vice-convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee, but it is my pleasant duty to introduce this report to the Parliament on the committee's behalf.

The committee agreed in November 1999 that one of its earliest inquiries should focus on special educational needs. The terms of reference of the inquiry were deliberately broad. We wanted to examine the diversity of special needs education provision throughout Scotland; to investigate the effectiveness of current integration strategies at all levels of pre-school and school education; to investigate the effectiveness of transition arrangements for special needs pupils at each stage in the school education system; and to consider how effectively the requirements of families with special needs children are understood and fulfilled by education services.

In response to our request for written evidence, we received 150 submissions, including some from parents. Those submissions were followed up with oral evidence sessions and visits to 11 mainstream and special schools that offered a range of provision. Committee members who took part in those visits found them to be one of the most influential and meaningful aspects of the inquiry, largely because of the input of children, their parents and teachers. The committee appointed Dr Julie Allan as its adviser for the duration of the inquiry, and we express our gratitude to Dr Allan, who provided advice and helped with the drafting of the report, as did the clerks. We record our thanks to Gillian Baxendine and David McLaren, who have both moved on, and to Martin Verity and Ian Cowan, who have not.

We acknowledge the contributions of previous members of the committee: former convener Mary Mulligan, Kenneth Macintosh, Lewis Macdonald, Jamie Stone, Nicola Sturgeon and Fiona McLeod. We also thank for their brief contributions Johann Lamont, Cathy Jamieson and Margaret Ewing. If the inquiry had not been suspended for several months at the end of last year, to allow the committee to deal with the urgent matter of problems surrounding the certification of school examination results, perhaps some of the original committee members could have seen the inquiry to its conclusion. I do not believe that the outcome would have been any different.

What were our findings? In our view, education in mainstream schools can become a realistic option for the majority of children with special educational needs. That goal can be achieved while maintaining the option of special school placements for those with the most significant needs. During our inquiry, major concerns emerged over the current system for meeting special educational needs. Evidence that we received highlighted the inadequacy of training for school staff; the lack of support and information for parents and children; and problems associated with the record-of-needs procedures for assessing pupil requirements. In our report, we acknowledge the Scottish Executive's commitment to children with special educational needs and their parents, through the establishment of Enquire, the national SEN information and advice service; through support for the national SEN training and co-ordination project; and through its commitment to review assessment and recording procedures.

Our recommendations take account of those factors and developments and try to identify the changes that would be necessary to achieve an inclusive education system for all children. Central to that process should be the maximising of the participation of all children with special needs in mainstream schools. We are aware that much work will need to be done, especially in staff development and training, to prepare the teaching profession for the challenges that it will face. We have also been guided by the belief that parental involvement is crucial in addressing the problems of children with special needs, and that there must be an element of choice in provision.

The committee report makes 19 detailed recommendations, all of which are important, although I have time to mention only a few. First, the committee concluded, from evidence that was presented to it, that inclusion is preferable to integration, although there is a lack of clarity about what that means in practice. The committee proposed a definition of inclusive education:

"Maximising the participation of all children in mainstream schools and removing environmental, structural and attitudinal barriers to their participation."

We believed that mainstream schools

"should ensure that all policies and practices are inclusive."

Other members will speak on that issue, as it is fundamental to the debate and because definitions can be problematic.

Another key recommendation is:

"Additional resources should be made available for the more widespread provision of information, advice and training for parents (which is independent from schools, authorities and the Scottish Executive) and for the establishment of informal parents support networks."

Overwhelming evidence confirms that the national advisory forum for special educational needs, in its review of record-of-needs procedures, should consider the options of

"either replacing the system or revising it substantially."

We note that the consultation document "Assessing our children's educational needs" has been launched to begin that process. The view of most of those who are involved in the process is that the system had become cumbersome; was driven by the availability of resources; was divorced from the views of the child; and was inconsistent between authorities. The committee identified the characteristics that any future system for assessing needs should have. They include:

"Initiation of the assessment at the earliest possible stage and with shorter time limits for the completion of the assessment process.

Updating at key/transitional stages, making the Record of Needs a live document.

The right of parents to have access to information and reports, with time to digest and support to ensure understanding and participation in the decision-making process."

Fundamentally, there should be

"Inclusion of the child's view".

There should also be

"Mechanisms for ensuring greater accountability and consistency across local authorities"

and

"Effective linking with local authorities' staged intervention procedures."

I make special mention of recommendation xiv, which says:

"In future placing decisions, where a special school is recommended, exclusion from mainstream must be justified in relation to the child's best interests. The justification must include a statement about how the special school will contribute to the child's inclusion, for example by specifying arrangements for part-time participation in mainstream, plans for later transfer to mainstream or extra curricular activities."

Evidence regarding special school placement decisions shows that they are often based on the perceived inability of mainstream schools to cope, rather than on more positive considerations. The committee wants to ensure that mainstream schools can become a realistic option for the majority of children, while seeking to maintain the option of a special school placement for those with the most significant needs. No doubt, there will be further discussion of that issue in today's debate.

Recommendation xviii is significant and worthy of note. It advocates the establishment of

"an inclusive education resource centre"

to undertake research and ensure that information and expertise is made available to staff, parents and young people.

I thank the minister for the Executive's response to the report, which gave it a general welcome. However, I am disappointed that ministers felt unable to endorse our definition of inclusive education or to accept the need for a clear and agreed definition. I hope that the minister will inform us of the actions that he will pursue in the light of our recommendations.

We must ensure that the necessary changes to take us towards inclusion are implemented. The committee was left in no doubt, by the evidence that was presented, that we have the opportunity to make a big difference to the lives and education of many of Scotland's children, and that is a huge responsibility. I emphasise that members are fully aware of the importance of those issues, the significance of the findings and the consequence of the recommendations. There was a remarkable degree of consensus within the committee.

The report is wide-ranging and constructive. It is designed to help children with special educational needs, their parents, their teachers and the schools that are involved in this work. I commend the report to Parliament on behalf of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee.

I move,

That the Parliament notes the 3rd Report 2001 of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee, Report on Inquiry into Special Educational Needs (SP Paper 264).