A SPECIAL school in Clent will be top of the class when it becomes the first in the country to have its own research institute.

Sunfield School, on Woodman Lane, has set up the institute to develop understanding of learning difficulties and to find ways of supporting youngsters and their families.

Sunfield is a residential special school for children with severe and complex learning difficulties, and has specialist provision for children with profound autism.

The institute aims to learn from the experiences of young people, families and professionals from within the school and from the wider community.

It will share this information with the children, families, professionals and other interested groups and encourage them to work alongside Sunfield in the research process.

An international group of experts within the field of disability research will scrutinise all proposals, processes and outcomes, and all research conducted at Sunfield will be overseen by a research officer and a body of professionals from within the organisation.

The group has its own research policy and code of ethical practice and is chaired by Professor Barry Carpenter, who is the director of research.

"The opening of the research institute is a landmark in Sunfield's development as a leading national organisation in the field of autism," said Professor Carpenter.

"Working with children with such complex needs there are so many unanswered questions. Research, with our own practice, is the approach that our staff will use to the benefit of our children."

The new centre is due to open tomorrow (Thursday).