Ref. 31102-14 Karen Roberts with her son AdamPARENTS of children at a special school have vowed to fight a proposal to close it only two years after pupils were moved to a purpose-built centre.

The Chalet School, which caters for children with complex learning difficulties including autism, moved to a £1.3 million revamped building on the same campus as Liden Primary School.

Swindon Council's education department is considering the school's future because it says it is too expensive to operate with so few pupils.

Currently 25 children attend the 42-place school, meaning the average cost per pupil is £18,000 a year the highest average in the borough.

But parents say closing the school would have a detrimental effect on their children, and the expertise in special needs built up over its 42-year history would be lost.

Karen Roberts, 36, of Stratton, has a nine-year son, Adam, who has been diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

She said: "Our children have very unusual learning difficulties. They need to have structured learning so they feel secure. This school is excellent. The staff are meeting the needs of our children in the right environment."

Governors are also angry that they were not informed of the proposals, which education officials discuss on Thursday at an education partnership board meeting.

A report prepared by council officers outlines four options:

l Chalet School to close and pupils dispersedelsewhere in the borough;

l The school becomes a special resource attached to a mainstream school;

l The school is redeveloped as a child development centre, bringing all health, social services and education agencies together to assess children with learning difficulties;

l Chalet School continues as a special school.

In 2002, the school moved from a cramped building near the Magic Roundabout. It now has additional facilities such as three sensory rooms including a soft play area, light room and relaxation area.

Kathy Bryan has been acting headteacher for two years and says any plan to close the school would be shortsighted and a waste of resources.

And governor Samantha Niemirski, whose six-year-old son Phillip is autistic, said:"I looked into sending my child to my local primary school and the headteacher said it would actually cost £27,000 a year to educate him there, so this school is good value for money."

Coun Garry Perkins, (Con, Shaw & Nine Elms), lead member for education, said: "The school is underused and this report is just looking at what the alternatives are.''

Geoff Hogg, assistant director of services to pupils at Swindon Council, added: "We had an open debate with parents and governors about what to do with this school.

"It is now the view that children with special educational needs should be included in mainstream schools and as far as possible go to their local schools. We will not be making any recommendations until the autumn."

Bhavani Vadde