I am slightly mystified by Rachael Reid’s attack on me (letters 18 December) for my involvement in special needs education at a national level.

I made no mention of any meeting in Wroughton; my comments were about the meeting I had with education Minister Lord Adonis to discuss special educational needs. It’s an area of education I have been involved in since being a volunteer assistant at a special school in my teens, and I’ve both taught children with special needs and worked as an education adviser with special schools across the spectrum.

My own experience suggests that the statementing process is too long and complex; it takes up valuable local authority time and can cause considerable distress to families. I and other MPs from all parties have taken this up with ministers. However, whilst I will keep the pressure on education ministers to review the statementing process, there is also a local authority responsibility to manage it expediently and fairly. On the whole, Swindon Borough Council does this well, but there have been some cases in my constituency where parents have been left frustrated and angry by the process.  

Throughout my involvement in education, there was a debate about how much and how big a proportion of the education budget should be spent on special needs and it is right that this debate continues. Despite the large real term increases in special needs funding in the last ten years, I doubt whether there will ever be enough to satisfy every parent’s wishes for their children, whatever the colour of the government. Some special needs places are very expensive; one case I have dealt with in the last twelve months involved a placement costing £96,000 per year. The local authority had to balance the needs of this one child and the child’s family with the needs of all other special needs children and those in mainstream schools – a very difficult decision to make. 

During the debate on the Education Select Committee’s Report into Special Educational Needs in October, the Chairman, Barry Sheerman, stated that ‘There were myths that local authorities were closing every special school, that the Government had a secret agenda to close special schools, and that inclusion ruled and was going to be pushed through despite opposition from parents and students or anyone else in the community’. In taking evidence, the committee found that none of these myths were true and found that it could not make a judgment whether to recommend inclusion in mainstream schools over education in special schools, or vice versa. This is because it was presented with evidence of excellent work in both types of school and heard from parents with children in both who were happy with the provision made. Where there was unhappiness, it was due to children being placed in inappropriate provision. I agree with Barry Sheerman we should consider what is best for the child, and that this should be decided locally. 

The education of all children in my constituency is of great concern to me and I look forward to a reasoned debate on special needs. However, I am equally committed to ensuring that the issue of children with special needs does not become a political football in the run-up to the next general election, and trust that those behind the special needs network are as well. 

Yours sincerely 

Anne Snelgrove MP