EDUCATION bosses will today (September 8) decide the future of a much-loved special needs school in Dorset which has been recommended for closure by schools chiefs.

The controversial proposal to axe Penwithen School has prompted disbelief and anger among parents of special needs children across the county, teachers, and education specialists, while the Daily Echo's own campaign to save the school has sparked hundreds of letters of support.

But the decision being taken at County Hall this morning comes only 24 hours after government inspectors branded Dorset's overall special educational needs strategy as unsatisfactory and called for urgent action to be taken.

The Ofsted inspection of Dorset's local education authority criticises the county's lack of a convincing action plan for the reorganisation of special needs provision for local children.

"The future role of special schools has yet to be defined, including how they will support outreach in mainstream schools and reduce the local education authority's dependency on a high number of expensive out-of-county placements," says the report.

The proposed closure of Penwithen is part of the LEA's plans to reorganise its special needs provision.

The school and hostel, which caters for children with behavioural or social problems, is currently only half full with 24 pupils on the roll.

Parents at the school claim this fall in numbers has been as a result of a deliberate policy on the part of the LEA, while director of education David Goddard vehemently denies this.

"Dorset's mainstream schools are now able to cope more effectively with pupils who have challenging behaviour, and our inclusion strategy encourages the placement of pupils in schools within their local community," he said.

"That is why I do not think there is sufficient justification to maintain Penwithen."

Referring to the Ofsted findings, he said: "Ofsted says we are spending too much on special educational needs, which is why we are reorganising as part of our inclusion strategy. We want to give value for money," Mr Goddard added.

But former pupil Iris Montero, speaking from Australia, said: "Although the director of education speaks of the inclusion strategy, I question the impact on troubled children, teachers and other pupils.

She added: "All I know is that with the care and support of staff at Penwithen I was able to turn my life round.

"I do not believe this would have been possible had I been left in my home environment."

Log on September 9 for the outcome of today's meeting, and see in the Daily Echo's Education Today supplement, September 13, for a full analysis of Dorset LEA's inspection.