PARENTS of children with severe disabilities have been left 'devastated' at proposed cuts to specialist teaching staff, fearing their children will be left 'without their voices' in school.

Somerset Skills and Education chiefs were forced to defend a decision to cut members of the Physical Impairment and Medical Support (PIMS) team at a meeting of Somerset County Council's scrutiny for policies, children and families which saw a hoard of protestors gather outside County Hall today (Friday, March 16).

Martin Potter from Taunton spoke passionately against the cuts.

"I am here today with my wife and our daughter Gracie," Mr Potter said. "Gracie has a rare progressive illness that is slowly taking her mobility, speech and motor skills.

"Gracie has always been in mainstream school.

"The Physical Impairment and Medical Support team (PIMS) have been instrumental in supporting Gracie, the schools, and us as parents for many years, which we are extremely thankful for.

"Without the help of the PIMS team our daughter would not have been able to continue in mainstream school and this would have made Gracie's world a lot smaller."

Gracie is now 12 and goes to Heathfield secondary school, but without The PIMS team, Mr Potter says he does not think it will be possible for Gracie to stay in mainstream school and so she will have to start all over again in a specialist school.

"By cutting this valuable service you will be excluding my daughter and other children from what has been a normal school life," Mr Potter said.

Gemma Lorey from Bridgwater was one of parents fighting the cuts - her son Max, aged 9, has severe quadriplegia dystonic cerebral palsy.

"Max is extremely bright and attends mainstream school. However his only way to communicate is through his high-tech eye-gaze system which he uses only with his eyes," Mrs Lorey said.

"This can only happen because he is hugely reliant on the expert support of the PIMS team and they offer us home and school support to allow Max to stay in mainstream school.

"I am asking for the people making the decision to come and shadow members of the PIMS team for a day and see how much they do for someone like Max."

Ian Rowswell and Emily Walters from SSE bore the brunt the questions from the public and councillors. Rowsell explained that SSE had due to 'strong financial management and a number of efficiency savings there would a £210k surplus.

Emily Walters said: "Funding for high needs children and young persons will now be allocated to the schools for them to spend how they see fit."

A special needs co-ordinator from one Somerset school spoke to the Gazette before the meeting. "I am extremely concerned about losing frontline staff. It will affect the most vulnerable children, and parents and staff did not know about this decision until the last minute."

Cllr Martin Dimery said: "I was teaching when the social integration policy was brought in and SEN children were moving into mainstream school and I would not have been able to cope without specialist assistance. I do not know why we are only finding out about this now - I feel like as a councillor I have been hung out to dry."

Ian Rownsell admitted that a number of people had already received redundancy notices, and said some had accepted voluntary redundancy.

The council agreed to ask for the procedure to be put on hold so that a full report can be produced to be discussed at the next meeting on April 20.