CEO Tony Best and David Cameron exchange views on Special Education

During David Cameron's visit to the North-East on 9th January, I had the opportunity to ask him about his views on special education. The answers were encouraging and many of his beliefs fit in with what Percy Hedley Foundation has as its principles.

In the past he has stated his personal belief that special schools are an essential part of educational provision, and he confirmed that this is now Conservative party policy. The closure of schools to achieve wholesale local inclusion is clearly accepted as wrong - and in fact this practice has now been reversed by the current government and is no longer DCSF policy. This fits in with the Percy Hedley Foundation's view that very specialist education in specialised environments is essential for some children and, indeed, is what the Foundation provides in its schools.

However, whereas current policy seems to be to use special schools only if there is no appropriate local placement, David Cameron said he believed that the parents should have more influence over their child's placement. He believes they are the real experts on their child, and know the needs better than many educational 'experts' (he specifically mentioned educational psychologists as often having to make decisions based on inadequate knowledge). They should have the right to decide the type of school they want for their child, and this is not currently the case.

Asked about the role of charities such as the Percy Hedley Foundation, he said he believed their schools should be an integral part of local provision. He accepted that local authorities may prefer not to use them, often as they are perceived as more expensive than the alternative local authority generic special school. He thought that was wrong and felt a mechanism which gave the money directly to parents would help ensure the best placement was given to every child. This might be an extension of the 'Direct Payment' type of scheme being set up for some short breaks and for services for adults.

However, he mentioned his ideal situation. This would be a special school co-located with mainstream provision so children and staff are able to benefit from each other's presence ('a revolving door policy') and some office functions may be shared to achieve greater efficiency.

He praised the charity sector as being experts in many specialist fields, and thought their knowledge should be used by regional and national government to help shape policy and practice. He specifically mentioned Mind and Barnardos as two organisations he has successfully worked with recently.

The Percy Hedley Foundation aims to organise services that complement those provided by local authorities. We are actively seeking opportunities to work in partnership with local authorities. We already contribute to a number of regional and national bodies where our very specialist knowledge can add real value to discussion and decision-making. In these ways we know we give valuable support to disabled people and their families, and are well placed to respond to further opportunities offered by local or national initiatives.

Tony Best
Chief Executive Officer
Percy Hedley Foundation
January 2009

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