I was intrigued to read Tony Fort’s letter about special schools and their “main purpose to provide for profound learning disabilities” (Letters, September 24). According to Tony, those young people with what he described as “moderate” needs should be in their local FE college at 16.

Most special schools pride themselves on catering for as wide a range of learning difficulties as they can, and I have to say that it grates to hear a colleague in FE suggesting that we should, for some strange reason, segregate the students on the basis of ability to decide where their future provision should be provided.

I think few people would disagree with Tony’s belief that increasing independence should be an aspiration for the student, but his example of the young person who can now walk to the local Tesco and is no longer invisible to society seems based on archaic perceptions of special schools and does little to move practice on.

Sean O’Sullivan, headteacher, Frank Wise School, Banbury, Oxfordshire.