Mathers MojoMOJO MATHERS (Green): I am pleased to take a call on this debate. I wish to focus on an issue that is really close to my heart which is special education. At the moment I am very aware that inclusive education is something of a buzzword. I support it. The Minister of Education has held up the Ministry of Education's Intensive Wraparound Service as the gold standard for persons with disabilities and complex needs. It would be great if every child was able to get the support they needed to participate flourish and learn in our education system but we know that that is not happening. The current cap on the Intensive Wraparound Service has been set at 335 students and that is woefully inadequate. Too many children with complex needs are missing out on the Intensive Wraparound Service and the support that they need and many more students are also missing out on the support that they need and on reaching their potential because special education is under-resourced and is not well suited to meeting their needs. What we know from the number of parents who have approached us is that it is an absolute nightmare for parents to navigate the systems of accessing the funding and the support that they need for their child. That means that many children are missing out. Access to special education should not depend on a parent having to fight for their child and take up the fight on their behalf. It should not depend on parents having to fund specialist reports themselves. We know from submissions on the Education and Science Committee inquiry that the education system is failing many children with dyslexia dyspraxia and autism in particular. I am someone who has personally benefited from many years of specialised support in the education system whether that has been speech therapy or small class sizes. It breaks my heart when a parent tells me that their child is unable to get the support that they need. I had that support through most of my education and I know what a difference that support made to me. I would not be here in Parliament today without that. I have experienced inclusion done well. I have experienced inclusion done very badly. I have also had 3 years of intensive educational support at a specialised residential school for Deaf in England. What I can tell the Minister is this: inclusion works only if it is properly resourced and if the school environment is genuinely supportive of the child. Inclusion done poorly is traumatising for those with disabilities which brings me to Salisbury School. I cannot understand why the Minister seems so determined to be closing that school down because it is a school that is providing some fantastic support and service to some of the most vulnerable children in this country. It is my belief that there is clearly a role for Salisbury School to stay open and become a centre for best practice which can then spread throughout the education system. Salisbury School is no more expensive than other residential schools and would be viable if it had at least 20 students which would be easy to allow to happen. I urge the Minister to listen to the families and to former students who have attended that school and keep Salisbury School open. Stop using the Intensive Wraparound Service committee as a sort of gatekeeper acting as a sinking lid on enrolments in that school. There is no need to do so. We can learn from what is being developed at Salisbury School in the way of being a centre of excellence in education for children with highly complex needs. That is something that we need to retain and keep open.