From David Hutchings, Exeter 382594, January 30, 2007

TWO EXETER special schools have become the first in Devon to be awarded specialist status.

Every one of Devon's 37 mainstream secondary schools has a specialism.

Now Ellen Tinkham and Southbrook have become the first in the county to achieve specialist status.

They have both been designated specialist schools for cognition and learning.

They will now be able to develop their work with other schools across Devon supporting pupils with special needs as well as developing their own expertise.

Ellen Tinkham will particularly work with St Luke's, St Michael's Primary and Stoke Hill Junior in Exeter, St Peter's Primary in Budleigh Salterton and Withycombe Raleigh Primary in Exmouth.

Southbrook will work with St Luke's, Isca, Countess Weir and Topsham Primaries and the Royal School for the Deaf.

Each will receive £100,000 from the Government to be spent on capital projects in addition to money they have raised themselves and £60,000 a year for four years to be spent on revenue projects.

Southbrook headteacher Hilary Green said: "I am delighted the effectiveness of the school has been nationally acknowledged and that is a result of the competence and commitment of all the staff.

"We are a centre of excellence and this will enable us to raise opportunities for children with special needs."

She said both schools would be able to increase their support for mainstream schools.

At Southbrook itself, the students' opportunities to use ICT would be improved and there would be more access to interactive whiteboards.

Forty per cent of the students at Southbrook were on the autistic spectrum and needed to learn visually. But using visual learning strategies were equally effective for other children with barriers to learning.

Last November schools inspectors rated the leadership and management of Ellen Tinkham as outstanding.

Headteacher Jacqui Warne said that had been one of the factors in the school's successful bid for specialist status.

"It will help us meet the needs of children with special needs and learning disabilities wherever they happen to be," she said.

"This is a thriving, vibrant school and this gives us more opportunity to do what we do best.

"We will be working with other schools and organisations to augment our standards of outreach to them and we will be able to improve our provision for our own students."

She said the school would be extending its therapy suite and developing a training facility that would be accessible to the community.

NOTE TO NEWS EDS: For more information contact Jacqui Warne on 01392 467168 and Hilary Green on 01392 258373.

.