• participating in assessment and review of special educational needs and future needs assessment;
   
  
• selecting an appropriate school placement;
   
  
• passing on to teachers relevant information from doctors and other professionals;
   
  
• suggesting ways which are likely to be effective in learning and teaching;
   
  
• reinforcing new skills and learning at home and in the community;
   
  
• supporting school activities;
   
  
• offering advice and support to other parents of pupils in the school.

16.   The provision of information and advice to parents is particularly important. Parents look for information in many areas – on rights and the legal framework, on the provision that is available, on the individual circumstances of their child. There is a role for local authorities, staff, voluntary organisations and parents and each will wish to examine regularly how they fulfil this role and identify improvements.
 
17.   The Scottish Office is also an important source of information for parents and we are continually seeking to improve the service we are able to give.
 
18.   We are working in partnership with Children in Scotland to produce a revised and improved version of the booklet “A Parent’s Guide to Special Educational Needs”. The new enhanced version will be published this summer and made widely and freely available.
 
19.   While the school and the education authority are generally the first line for parents who wish to seek advice or information there can be instances when parents wish to seek additional or independent advice and information about their child’s specific situation. On many such instances the voluntary sector fulfils a valuable function and the positive role of many voluntary bodies in assisting parents, schools and authorities is immensely valuable. It may be however that the specialist roles of these bodies could be complemented by an independent advice service at a national level.
 

Involving Pupils
 
20.   The views and aspirations of the individual child or young person with special educational needs are central to determining provision and meeting their requirements. Their self esteem should be promoted, they should be empowered to participate and encouraged to have high expectations. They must not be regarded as passive recipients of a treatment but active participants in their own learning and development.
 
21.   Young people over the age of compulsory school age have a statutory right to take decisions about their own education. Good practice dictates that wherever possible younger children should also be consulted on issues which affect their schooling. They should be encouraged and helped to participate in discussions about their educational needs and how their educational requirements are met.
 
22.   Children are entitled to be consulted by their parents and local authorities, courts and other relevant agencies when these adults are making significant decisions affecting them. Children of twelve years of age or more are assumed to be of sufficient age and maturity to form a view, although this should not preclude parents, local authorities and other agencies seeking and taking into account the views of younger children.
 
23.   Methods of involving children and young people with special educational needs in decisions affecting them can include:

• assistance and information for children and young people to help them express their opinions;  
  
• guidance relating to curricular and vocational choices and to personal matters;  
  
• involving them in reviews of their progress;  
  
• access to information on post school opportunities.

The Role of the School
 
24.   Effective schools, whether mainstream or special, will strive to meet the educational needs of all of their pupils and take full account of national and education authority policies. Such schools will seek to continuously improve the attainment of pupils throughout their school career to assist them to reach their full potential. They will aim to develop in all pupils:

• knowledge and understanding, both of self and of the social and physical environment;  
  
• a wide range of knowledge, skills and understanding derived from their interaction with the curriculum;  
  
• positive attitudes, values and self esteem; and  
  
• an ability to participate as full members of society.

25.   Schools should have aims which are appropriate and realistic and are reviewed regularly, communicated effectively to all involved with the school and matched by a set of clearly defined policies and practices. The system of development planning and self-evaluation followed by schools throughout Scotland provides the framework to ensure that this is done.
 
Policies
 
26.   School handbooks must include a statement of school policy in relation to pupils with special educational needs. This reflects the importance of special educational needs, not only in special schools but also in mainstream schools.
 
27.   In addition many education authorities, governing bodies and schools have drawn up specific policy statements and guidelines on their special educational needs provision.
 
Practices
 
28.   Schools should develop good working practices to ensure that:

• school staff have access to information and best practice on special educational needs issues, including health issues;  
  
• effective partnerships are established with parents of children with special educational needs;  
  
• parents are provided with ready access to identified contact persons in the school and kept fully informed about all matters related to their children;  
  
• parents are referred to named officers at education authority level if schools cannot help with parents’ enquiries.

The Role of the Local Authority
 
29.   Local authorities have a duty under section 19 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 to prepare and publish plans for local children’s services including services for disabled children, in consultation with health services and other local child welfare agencies and professionals. Education departments and directorates should contribute to these plans and should ensure that their policies on provision for special educational needs and assessment inform the plan as it relates to disabled children. Authorities are also required to publish information about relevant services for disabled children in their area, or services provided by any other local authority for those children. This information may include details of specialist educational services or other services which may support a child’s education in mainstream school.
 
30.   Education authorities have a duty under section 1 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to secure the adequate and efficient provision of school education for their area which must include adequate and efficient provision for special educational needs. To fulfil this duty they require to develop and implement effective procedures for identifying, assessing and supporting children and young persons with special educational needs. All education authorities in Scotland should have a statement of their policy on provision for special educational needs. Such provision need not, however, be made in the authority’s own schools.
 
31.   Some of the areas which an education authority should cover in its policy statement on special education needs are:

• the range of provision for special educational needs available within the education authority;  
  
• procedures for identifying special educational needs;  
  
• procedures for joint assessment frameworks and systems;  
  
• procedures and arrangements for opening and reviewing Records of Needs;  
  
• placing arrangements for children with special educational needs, including provision not managed by the authority;  
  
• parental involvement;  
  
• approaches to meeting the curricular needs of pupils with particular forms of special educational needs;  
  
• arrangements for requesting assistance from professionals employed by the health service, the social work services and other agencies;  
  
• procedures for obtaining and maintaining special equipment and other resources;  
  
• health and safety issues.  
  
• arrangements for involving the use of an impartial third party to resolve disputes informally.

The Role of the Voluntary Sector
 
32.   Voluntary organisations have over many years been pioneers in shaping policies and institutions. Their innovative and pragmatic approach remains as important today as ever and the Government values their continued contribution.
 
33.   Parents often value and benefit from independent sources of advice. There is a wide range of organisations in the voluntary and charitable sector with particular expertise in a range of special educational needs issues who are well placed to assist parents. Indeed, many of these organisations have been established by parents of children with particular special educational needs.
 
34.   Valuable research and development work is undertaken by voluntary organisations working in the field of special educational needs and they often have close links with Universities or Teacher Education Institutions.
 
35.   Some of the ways in which voluntary and charitable organisations can contribute to special educational needs are by:

• offering advice and guidance to parents and young persons;  
  
• providing advocacy services, e.g. through the provision of Named Persons;
   
• providing local authorities with a range of staff training and development opportunities;  
  
• supporting early identification and informing the assessment process for SEN;  
  
• advising parents and schools in the increasingly important area of special educational needs technology;  

• undertaking special educational needs research and applying it to provide examples of good practice.

36.   The Scottish Office has for a number of years provided financial support, on a modest and ad hoc basis, to a range of voluntary organisations working in the field of special educational needs.
 
37.   Examples of recently funded projects include:

• production of Braille reading schemes for use in mainstream primary and special schools;  
  
• programme of courses aimed at classroom teachers on awareness and early identification of dyslexia;  
  
• development of “Life Skills” module software packages aimed at pupils with moderate learning difficulties;
  
• support for the National Special Needs Forum.

38.   We wish to encourage the voluntary sector to play a fuller role in special educational needs. The present grants scheme is a sound basis on which to build and we intend to do so. As resources become available we will enhance the funding provided to the voluntary sector through a fully co-ordinated and targeted Special Educational Needs Grant Scheme based upon clear criteria and priorities. In establishing these criteria and priorities we would wish to take careful account of the views of the non-statutory sector.