ABSTRACT
Membership of this network comprised all ten of the special schools, within Surrey’s LA, that are designated for children and young people identified as having severe learning difficulties (SLD). Some of these schools also offer specialist provision for students with other associated disabilities; for example, profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) and/or students identified as having autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Eight are all-age schools, and two schools cater for secondary students only; together they provide education for children and young people aged two to nineteen years old, from nursery through to further education (FE). The acronym LIFE stands for Learning and Inclusion For Everyone. This refers to the network’s overall aim to support the learning of all children and young people in Surrey identified as having SLD. Thus, an intended focus was to develop outreach work from the special schools to children and young people in local mainstream schools and colleges. The network originally planned to work with the University of Kingston and Surrey LA; however, circumstances, such as staffing changes in those organisations, meant that such collaboration was minimal. Some members of the network found especially helpful the support provided by the NLC group, as is evident in their attendance at NLC meetings and use of their materials.
