MORE children with speech disorders and language difficulties are set to benefit thanks to the success of a pilot scheme in Bury.

A speech and language disorder unit currently exists at Unsworth County Primary School which receives £127,000 of funding to provide places for 24 pupils.

However, the number of pupils referred for places has fallen since 1995 and it is estimated that there will be just ten pupils in the unit by September.

The decline is due to children showing additional difficulties like autism which require more specialist placements.

But there are also 23 pupils who have speech and language difficulties at other primary schools in the borough.

Because they do not meet the high level of criteria for placement at Unsworth they have had to make do with special support assistants rather than teachers.

But all this is set to change thanks to the success of a pilot outreach scheme launched in April last year.

Under the scheme the teacher-in-charge of the Unsworth unit has devoted three days a week to supporting the children at other schools, which has proved a hit with parents, schools and speech therapists.

Members of Bury Council's education and community services committee have agreed to make the scheme official.

Besides continuing to oversee and monitor the remaining pupils in the unit, the outreach support teacher will also become a member of the council's learning support service.

Borough education officer Mr Harold Williams said: "This will ensure that the provision for those pupils in mainstream schools is now effective and, together with the very high quality of provision already established at Unsworth County Primary School, will provide a co-ordinated approach to meeting the needs of all pupils with speech and language difficulties in the borough."

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