No reprieve forlanguage unitwith £7m grant

A SPECIALISED language unit in Londonderry - deemed ‘unsuitable’ by the Western Education of Library Board (WELB) and doomed to closure at the end of the next academic year - will not be saved by the allocation of £7.4m to Belmont House Special School, it’s been revealed.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Jul 2012, 11:23 BST

Education Minister John O’Dowd said the money granted to Belmont House Special School does not incorporate the Woodlands Language Unit.

The Minister previously revealed the location of the specialised Woodlands unit was “unsuitable” due to WELB’s current policy of providing support for children with linguistic disorders in mainstram primary schools.

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Local parents of children with special language needs recently received notification of the proposed closure of the Woodlands Language Unit at Belmont in the 2012/13 academic year.

Now the Minister has confirmed that the recent announcment of funds for a new Belmont does not include Woodlands.

“The WELB has advised me that the capital planning process for Belmont House Special School is based on the current enrolment figures for Belmont House Special School and does not include Woodlands Language Unit.

“I am advised that the proposed relocation of the speech and language classes will be managed through a pre-consultation process that has already been commenced by the WELB with the relevant stakeholders,” he stated.

Related topics:John O'DowdWoodlands