What makes this school so special?

DANIEL Milligan throws out his arms and looks through the trees to the shaded pond beyond. "This is our garden," he says proudly. Daniel, 13, and three other pupils, are helping teacher Sally Hicks give a guided tour of Fulford Cross School's new conservation area.

It is a large wooded stretch next to the school which was visited by the Lord Mayor Coun Irene Waudby earlier this week, and has been improved at a cost of more than £20,000 during the last two years, with the addition of a raised wooden pathway and dipping platform.

The area is often used for science and other lessons and the group giving the tour are obviously familiar with the layout, with the sight of several ducklings whizzing over the pond's surface causing a flurry of excitement.

The improvements are the latest development at the school which caters for Daniel and 101 other pupils with special educational needs.

They are described as having moderate learning difficulties, and about a quarter have emotional and behavioural problems. More often than not they have either fallen behind in lessons or had problems with their behaviour in mainstream schools then moved to Fulford Cross. Some have been even been excluded from other schools.

What the children say they like about Fulford Cross is way they have made friends. and it is the way in which the school has helped pupils such as Daniel that has won it so much acclaim.

Sally, deputy head and a former regional teaching awards winner, says: "We cater very much for the individual needs of the particular child. We assess their needs then we meet them.

"We work well together as a team. We can make a real difference, not just to their learning skills, but their feelings about themselves, their development as individuals. Self esteem is at the core of it.

"Many of the kids have really low self esteem. If we can boost them, then we can alter their behaviour. In a class of 30 that is not as easy."

Fellow teacher Phil Bunting says it all comes down to having a "strategy for success".

He is busy helping his Year Eight class of 12 and 13-year-olds make little wooden bicycles in a design technology project, based on three triangle shapes.

As he walks around the room checking on their progress, pupils from the small group approach him easily and eagerly to show him the latest stage of their work. He gathers them together every few minutes to tell them how to go about carrying out the next stage.

"I always talk about success strategies - I aim to ensure that at the end of the lesson they've all succeeded. They never finished anything when they were in classes of 20 or 30.

"Children with moderate learning difficulties learn through success. Others may make a mistake and learn from it, but failure is something they have grown up with in mainstream schools.

"They have come from these schools after struggling with the work. Mainstream schools have tried their hardest, but the children here are in an environment where they have not got to worry about weaknesses. They feel good about themselves."

Fulford Cross caters for children from eight to 16 and offers a wide curriculum which includes subjects such as music, science, and Spanish (taught by Sally who seems to exchange a few words in Spanish with nearly every student as she walks around school).

For children of 11 upwards, it runs much like secondary school and pupils get certificates when they leave; but it is much smaller and class sizes range from nine to 16.

The irony of winning a top Government award at the same time as the school faces closure has not been lost on staff.

The school, which was praised in former Ofsted chief Chris Woodhead's annual report in 1999, was invited to apply for its beacon status by the Government, and winning it means it will be held up as an example of expertise for other

schools in the country.

But at the same time, the Government is committed to a policy of inclusion which means it wants to see more special school children going to mainstream schools.

Fulford Cross has seen falling pupil numbers over the past few years (although numbers have actually risen by one during the last year) as more parents send their children to mainstream schools. But schools such as Fulford Cross are facing closure all over the country.

Children at special schools often come from a wide area, so are not attending their local school and making friends with other children who live nearby, and often have long journeys to make every morning and evening.

The idea of the change is that they would benefit from mixing with children of all abilities in their local school if given the appropriate amount of help.

They would feel more "included" and would be offered the same opportunities as children in larger mainstream schools.

Under the City of York Council's review of special educational needs, the school looks set to close in 2004, with most of the children who would have attended it going to mainstream schools.

Northfield School in Acomb, which caters for children with physical and other disabilities, is also set to close in 2006, with two new special schools built to replace Lidgett Grove and Galtres for those children with the most severe learning difficulties.

The staff and governors at Fulford Cross are keen to work with the council to make sure the children get the best possible education and the council has said the skills of teachers such as Sally and Phil will be vital in working through the change.

Fulford Cross teachers already work with other schools and some pupils spend part of their week at mainstream schools such as Westfield Junior and Fulford Schools.

But they still have their concerns.

Sally says: "If I was convinced that the same or better provision could be provided in mainstream schools I would not have any doubts. But I'm not convinced yet.

"It's not that I'm against the philosophy of inclusion, but the provision for these children has to be the same or better.

"I have been to an inclusive mainstream school and seen a class with two teachers supported by teaching assistants.

"For it to be as good or better it has to be supported and mainstream teachers need to be supported and that means a lot of money."

Updated: 12:41 Friday, June 22, 2001