WEST Somerset's school-based special needs units have won a temporary reprieve from closure after a countywide schools committee dramatically refused to plough ahead with the cutbacks. It had widely been expected to be merely a matter of procedure when members of the Somerset School Organisation Committee met this week to consider Somerset County Council's proposals to close specialist bases for youngsters with special educational needs at Minehead First School, West Somerset Community College and Kingsmead Community School, in Wiveliscombe. But committee members - made up of county councillors, religious representatives, schools and member of the Learning and Skills Council - instead refused to support the proposals en masse, with the Kingsmead closure being thrown out on the spot and changes in Minehead failing to win unanimous backing. As a result, the fate of the units at both Minehead First School and West Somerset Community now lie in the hands of the national independent body the Office of the Schools Adjudicator as any school- related closure must receive unanimous support on a local level. The adjudicator is expected to reach a decision in the next six to eight weeks. Parents who had bitterly opposed the county council's plans from the start are hoping the committee's decision to keep the Kingsmead unit open will work in their favour. Anne Osterlind, whose eight-year-old son Joakim is autistic and has severe learning difficulties, said she felt there was now "hope on the horizon" for the special needs bases. She has been at the forefront of the campaign to save the units, claiming her son and others like him would simply not be able to cope in mainstream education. She told the Free Press: "I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the members of the committee who voted to keep the units and for their understanding and compassion. "Life with a disability is hard enough and we really need all the help and understanding we can get." She said Minehead school parents now felt they were facing "exciting times" rather than the bleak prospect of closure. But parents of youngsters who attend Kingsmead's specialist unit have been able to fully celebrate this week as their planned closure was well and truly rejected. Mark Blaker, whose 13-year-old son attends Kingsmead's unit, said he was delighted by the committee's decision not to support the county council's planned cuts. He said: "It's incredible. At best we were expecting a split decision, which would have meant the whole process dragging on for months to come. "Instead, the members of the committee really listened to what we had to say and understood the value of Kingsmead's unit." Statements were made by several parents and members of staff at both of this week's meetings - one was held in Minehead, the other in Taunton - while students from Kingsmead also ensured their voices were heard in the fight to save their school's unit from closure. Mr Blaker added: "This is a real victory for progressive, specialist units that can serve the whole community and puts Somerset's special educational needs policy back on track with modern thinking. "I hope the local education authority will study this decision carefully and use it as the basis for a more coherent policy." But county council executive board member and portfolio holder for education Cllr Gloria Cawood was far from jubilant over the committee's apparent failure to support the authority's proposals. She said: "We are very disappointed with this decision. We believe we had a strong case and will be considering the implications of this for the county." The county council has always argued its proposals were a fairer way of allocating special needs education funding and included plans for a specialist full-time teacher and two teaching assistants to remain in West Somerset. A unit at Minehead Middle School is still due to be closed by April 2008 under Somerset County Council's proposals, but because objectors withdrew their opposition to the changes the closure was not included in this week's discussions.