Children with disabilities or learning difficulties have been let down by Bradford Council, opposition councillors have claimed after the release of damning statistics.

Local government watchdog, the Audit Commission, says 95 per cent of statements detailing what care a child with special education needs receives are not provided within the 18-week time-limit.

The figure is way below the national average of 48 per cent and the situation worsened last year when the number of children who got statements fell by two per cent.

Today, Bradford Council acknowledged its poor performance and said it was now changing its practices to improve the situation.

Councillor David Ward, Liberal Democrat education spokesman, said it betrayed a cavalier attitude to the most vulnerable youngsters in the system.

"Quite frankly this is an appallingly low rate and begs the question of how serious Labour are about providing quality services for children with special educational needs," he said.

Children with special needs are assessed and given a 'statement' of precisely what extra teaching support they should be given.

But Coun Ward said a shift in the way it was organised had failed children.

He claimed a policy of matching need with provision was ditched in favour of a points system where each individual disability a child suffered from was given a mark and support allocated according to the totted up number

This was effectively a cost-cutting exercise and the fact the statements were delivered late added insult to injury.

A Bradford Council spokesman said the authority was working hard to turn the numbers around and its performance had already improved.

A legal challenge over the way Bradford City Council caters for children with major learning difficulties is due to be heard at the High Court, London, later this month. Parents of eight children took the authority to court over the points system.

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