Plans to shut a council-run unit for children with autism at a primary school have angered parents who have called the move a “disgrace”.
Tameside Council is consulting on the phased closure of the special education needs base which is located at St John Fisher RC Primary School in Denton, and is currently being used by seven children.
Sarah MacPhail, whose son goes to the unit, said parents were “fuming” over the plan which she felt was being done to cut costs.
The council said a wider review into provision across Tameside was under way with plans to secure more places and investment for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Some 24 other schools had expressed interest in setting up a new unit, it added.
Ms MacPhail said the Denton unit was “like a bridge between mainstream and specialist education” for children with autism or on a pathway to a diagnosis on Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
The unit offers smaller class sizes, more staff and an adapted curriculum for pupils, who can still mix in with education at the main school.
Ms MacPhail said her nine-year-old struggled with the noise and large number of children in the classroom before moving to the unit in year two.
“He has come on so much in there, and gone from hiding under tables screaming to becoming much more involved in his education.”
If the closure is approved, no new pupils will be admitted from 1 September, with existing children continuing there until they leave for secondary school.
The consultation plan said the move would allow St John Fisher to use the buildings for its own SEND students on EHCPs, changing how SEND funding is split between the school and the council.
Ms MacPhail said she felt the proposal was a deliberate attempt to force SEND pupils into mainstream schools “where their needs will not be met”.
“We can all see the need for this, and they’re trying to do away with it. We need more provision, not less,” she said.
Claire Hannah said the unit was “brilliant” for her son in the three years he was there, giving him the skills to make friends and progress.
“The school don’t want it and the council don’t want to pay for it, and there is a lack of provision in Tameside, it’s a disgrace,” she added.
A joint statement issued by the council and school said that the Tameside authority was “committed to ensuring that as many children as possible have a school place close to home”.
It added: “Inclusion is a key focus for Tameside, and we are currently undertaking a wider SEND sufficiency review to identify the number of places needed and the investment required, with a view to securing more school places for pupils with SEND within the borough.”
The consultation will close on 9 February.