I shall inject some politics into the discussion. There is always the question of how we will achieve that aim within current spending levels. Excellence in any field is never cheap. With a Government who accept the expenditure plans of the previous government, which my party thought could have been expanded, there is always the danger of going along the integration route as opposed to the inclusion route. If we are moving towards inclusion, we must ensure that there is something to back it up.
Special schools are centres of excellence and havens for some people within the school system.
The people who are aware of the various special needs are centred at such places and have the resources to provide the necessary support. Unless there is a vast increase in expenditure on education we shall never be able to match that across the board or in all schools. It is almost impossible. We must bear in mind that some types of learning and support for learning require sheltered environments and different teaching methods from those appropriate to mainstream education. I promised myself that I would not start my speech by mentioning dyslexia.