Today we have a much more balanced approach to children with special educational needs.

Not too long ago, children with conditions such as dyslexia or autism would generally be left behind in class, and labelled as slow or unwilling learners, at best.

But there is much more awareness today of such conditions, and provision must be made to ensure that those children get the best education possible and the same chances as any other children.

Just because we are aware and more pro-active in dealing with such situations, however, does not mean that resources are always more forthcoming to take the necessary action.

That is something that will have to be tackled, and quickly, as it is estimated that the rising number of children in the Bradford district on the autism spectrum is rising.

The district has a higher than average incidence of autism, but that is more likely down to the aforementioned increased awareness of the issue.

Provision must be made for those children, whether in specialist units in existing schools or by creating a special school to deal exclusively with their needs.

If, as has been suggested, that a specialist school could be required by 2018, at a projected cost of £2 million a year to run, then this is a dialogue that must be had now, with conversations about how that money could be found taking place sooner rather than later.

Education spending is tight, as is all local authority spending, but this is not an issue which will go away and it is better to plan for it now rather than be caught on the hop in three years' time.