A PILOT scheme to boost the qualification chances of students with special educational needs is being launched on Teesside.

Redcar and Cleveland Council is one of ten councils nationwide who have an extra £2.7million to spend over the next two years.

The money will be used for planning innovative ways of helping children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The Council, the only one selected in the North East, will be part of the Government's £31million Achievement for All project which aims to change the focus for schools and services to find out what parents need.

Councillor Ian Jeffrey, the Council's Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Education, said: "The project presents us with an exciting opportunity to further develop the already effective provision for children that exists across our Borough and to provide our teachers with access to very high quality training being developed for the project.

"We are particularly excited by the emphasis the project places on working alongside parents and the children themselves to develop a truly personalised curriculum and teaching which is more tailored to their needs."

Nationally, only 11.7 percent of young people with SEN achieve five GCSEs at A*-C, including English and maths, compared to 57 percent of their peers.

The key elements of the pilots include better teacher assessment, tracking and intervention to improve achievement and progress to stop them falling behind; and more effective engagement with parents so they are closely involved with their child's education and the support they need.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls said: "Every child should play to their strengths and get the grades to help them on to the next stage of education or into employment. But all too often parents with SEN children tell us they have to fight the system to get what their children need.

"I want to give all teachers the tools and approaches that will see them able to set realistic but challenging goals for children with special educational needs. Achievement for All is a major step forward in our drive to enable children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities to feel positive about school life and to realise their potential."