A plan outlining the future of Education in Rochford is ill thought out and doesn't take into account essential factors, councillors have claimed.

The Draft Essex School Organisational Plan was drawn up by Essex County Council Local Education Authority to ensure adequate school provision for children across the county.

It recommends the most economic school sizes, performance of schools, the balance between mainstream and special schools, and class sizes.

The report also suggests more emphasis with integrating special educational needs, and providing mobile classrooms in expanding schools.

But councillors at Rochford District's Finance and General Purposes Committee attacked the plan, in particular mobile classrooms and special needs integration.

Lib Dem councillor Nick Harris, himself a teacher, was worried the plan was a poorly disguised attempt to get rid of special schools.

He said: "The hidden agenda is if you can close special schools you save a large amount of money because they are not effective.

"It is cheaper to put them in mainstream schools, but as a school teacher I have concerns - once we have these children in mainstream education, can mainstream schools deal with them? No they can't."

A number of councillors commented that schools had been trying to get rid of mobile classrooms at schools, only for them to be suggested as a solution by the LEA.

Lib Dem Councillor Jeannette Helson also said the numbers of pupils coming from Southend weren't taken into account, and sixth form provision hadn't been taken into account.

She said: "How can they come up with a definite plan that doesn't take in Southend as a major threat to their boundaries I cannot comprehend."

But Labour Councillor Graham Fox claimed the draft plan itself addressed issues raised by councillors. He said: "They are not planning to get rid of special schools - the plan is to include children with special needs as much as you can within the mainstream.

"At the end of the day, if the plan works, then it is the best way forward."

Comments from councillors at the meeting of July 20 will be forwarded to Essex County Council Local Education Authority. They include concerns over mobile classrooms, special needs provision, relationships with adjoining districts, and sixth form provision.

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