The strategy was launched at a conference organised by the National Children's Bureau in London last week. Education secretary Charles Clarke said that more children with SEN would be educated in mainstream schools and that special schools would have a clear role to play as centres of excellence, sharing their knowledge with mainstream schools.
Emily Wooster, research and public policy officer for the disability organisation Scope, said the charity 'applauds the Government strategy and looks forward to the introduction of financial incentives to bring about the much-needed changes'.
Gwen Carr, director of UK services at the National Deaf Children's Society, added, 'We support Charles Clarke's aim to end the postcode lottery.
Whether in a school for the deaf or a mainstream school every deaf child is entitled to the best level of education.'
The Government said the means of improving services for children with SEN was by 'removing barriers to achievement', which would see partnership working between early years settings, local authorities, health and voluntary sectors. Early intervention was the strategy's 'cornerstone' to improve children's educational attainment and life chances.
The strategy acknowledged that there was not enough specialist advice and support for early years practitioners.
The strategy aimed to remedy this by supporting the development of co-ordinated early education and childcare services and enabling all early years settings, including the private and voluntary sector, to tap into the same local networks of specialist advice and support available in schools and local authorities.
The strategy is on the website www.dfes.gov.uk/sen.