TEACHERS could be set to lose their jobs after the announcement that two special needs units will close.

Swindon Council's education department is in the process of re-organising its provision for children with special needs.

And it has decided to close the hearing impairment unit at Mountford Manor Primary and Penhill Primary's moderate learning difficulties and speech and language difficulties units.

The units were open to all children in Swindon and not just those in each school's catchment area.

Linda Rankin, head of Penhill Primary, which will lose between £35,000 and £40,000 with the closure, said: "I'm disappointed. We have a great deal of expertise and we are a primary school so we can cater for children who are slightly older.

"There will be a significant reduction in our budget and therefore we will need to look at our staffing numbers."

The special needs provision was one of the highlights of Penhill Primary school's outstanding report by Govern-ment inspectors Ofsted in May this year.

The council will now have no specialist hearing units and just one speech and language unit at Even Swindon Infant School.

But parents of all children in the units have been assured that funding is still in place for their specialist needs and that no child will be forced to move schools or miss out.

Geoff Hogg, Swindon Council's assistant director of education, said: "Essentially our job is to purchase the right number of places in the right schools. When the number at the hearing impairment unit dropped to five we took the teacher into our central team so he can visit children who need him at any school.

"It reflects the fact children are having cochlear implants so they can be taught anywhere.

"At Penhill Primary there was a reduction in the number of places needed.

"I am talking to Linda Rankin about other opportunities at Penhill because I would hate to lose the quality staff there."

Francis Peer, head of Mountford Manor Primary in Park North, said only two children would require the use of the special unit next year since three of the five members were moving on to secondary school.

He said: "Provision for the hearing impaired children will alter but reflect the changing needs of children in the borough.

"Our Ofsted report in Sep-tember stated the hearing impaired unit was one of our main strengths and specialist staff will still be working with our children."

The complete Swindon School Organisation Plan: www.swindon.gov.uk/schoolplan-2