PARENTS are being urged to voice their concerns over the biggest overhaul of Special Educational Needs schools in decades.

Education chiefs at Lancashire County Council have set out plans to change how SEN schools operate in Burnley and Pendle in two consultation documents.

They explain a range of changes including school closures, mergers and re-locations.

Schools could find out about changes in as little as three months under the £170million Building Schools for the Future bid.

For SEN school children, it could mean the most far-reaching changes for decades. The council wants to slash the number of children in Lancashire's special schools by 1,000 with a view to accommodating more pupils in mainstream schools.

Under the proposals, dependent on the successful capital-cash bid from the Government in autumn, Primrose Hill School, Westway and Calder View in Burnley would close in July 2005.

Two new community special schools would be opened in August 2005 for 50 pupils aged two-11 with generic learning difficulties and 90 pupils aged 11-19 using existing buildings. These establishments would then be moved to a co-located premise on the site of proposed new secondary schools in the north east area of Burnley in 2008.

In Pendle, Townhouse and Gibfield Schools would close in July 2005. A new community special school would open in August 2005 in the Townhouse premises, to be moved to an existing primary school in Pendle at a later date. A new school for pupils aged 11-19 would be established on co-located premises with a secondary school in east Nelson in 2008, possibly the existing Walton school site.

Stephen Mercer, school policy an operations manager at county hall, said: "We want to re-organise so there is a primary and secondary phase of children with all types of learning difficulties together.

"We are in the consultation stage now and there will be a long transitional period. We want to minimise disruption."

The special schools in Hyndburn and Great Harwood are classed as 'Tranche Two' - a second funding wave which could get the go ahead for change from the government next year.

The council has also been reviewing funding streams for special schools and SEN children in mainstream schools.