The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland yesterday pledged a new commitment to the provision of educational facilities for children with special needs.
At the official opening of a new £2.2 million special care school in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, Dr Mowlam said the government will ensure that those in need of special education facilities receive the best possible service.
Dr Mowlam said new arrangements for assessing children with such needs will be closely monitored so provision can be made for individual needs. She met pupils at the Sperrinview Special School which has 50 children with severe learning difficulties, and paid tribute to the staff for the excellent work they are doing.
"As well as regarding education as our over-riding priority, the government is taking a particular interest in the provision for children with special needs," she said.
New arrangements for the assessment of children as well as new appeals machinery came into effect at the beginning of this month, she said, and a new code of practice would come into operation next September. "We will be watching carefully to see how these arrangements work in practice and that they are helping to ensure that children get the provision their individual needs require," she added.