The first areas to pilot the regional planning of special educational needs provision were due to be announced yesterday by schools minister Estelle Morris. Merseyside, the South West, East Anglia, the West Midlands, and London, look set to lead the way. .
Ms Morris, speaking at the Association of Chief Education Officers’ spring conference in Warwick, said the SEN green paper consultations had attracted more than 3,500 responses .
Four out of five authority responses welcomed the Green Paper, and none was opposed. She said the consultation responses showed strong support for the principle of inclusion - but fierce opposition to setting any national limits or guidelines on the number of SEN statements issued.
