COUNTY Hall bosses have been given a cash warning as they carry out a major overhaul of special educational needs in Lancashire.

Head teachers have warned that the system of statementing special education children must be urgently reformed in a bid to free up funds to provide better support for the vast majority of pupils requiring specialist help.

And some special schools must be safeguarded alongside mainstream schools, the National Association of Head Teachers revealed.

A recently published policy paper by the teaching union, which represents virtually every head from special schools, sets out the main concerns of teachers in the SEN sector.

The system of statementing children has been the way experts gauge and record a child's specific educational needs for more than 20 years. It is the main means of ensuring that pupils with the most significant difficulties receive the support they need.

Lancashire County Council is working on a major overhaul of special educational needs, which will see the number of SEN school places drop from 2,575 to 1,510 across the whole county. Up to ten schools in East Lancashire could be caught up in the changes. Parents of pupils at Broadfield Special school in Oswaldtwistle, Northcliffe in Great Harwood and White Ash in Oswaldtwistle, fear one site could even be axed all together as more children are placed in mainstream schools.

The union insists the system of statementing has become nothing more than a "means of providing money" and does not meet pupils' needs.

Head teachers also want to see statements as the norm only in cases where pupils require full-time, special school placement -- to "free up funds for better support to the vast majority" and tackle the shortage of educational psychologists and lack of consistency in reports.

The union also describes the continuing role of special schools as "vital".

But Jean Waddington, of Broadfield Action group, recently met with Lancashire County Council education chiefs to discuss the overwhelming majority objections to the changes.

She said: "The proposals to have more children in main stream education are very idealistic but we know on the ground they are pie in the sky.

"At Broadfield, we are a victim of our own success. They are taking our choice away while children are the guinea pigs."

"The system of statementing does need to be changed but we have to make sure that the borderline cases do not slip through the net. If they cut back on statements, children will be assessed by the schools and that will be even more inconsistent."

The union wants to see earlier intervention to address the needs of children and wants legislation requiring medical and social service professionals to share relevant information with professionals in the education field.

David Fann, council member for Lancashire NAHT, said: "The union represents nearly all special schools and is therefore in a strong position to support school leaders in this sector.

"The association is well placed to influence the current discussions about the future role of special schools and is determined to see the debate move on from whether or not special schools should exist to recognising the enormous potential of such schools and the people working in them.

"We want a truly inclusive education service."