ABOUT 100 children with speech and language special needs in Newcastle are to benefit from an extra £200,000 in funds over the next two years.

The local education authority is the only one in the northern region to be awarded a £100,000 Special Education Needs Standards Fund Grant by the Government which will be matched by the council.

The Newcastle Speech and Language Project aims to improve provision for children with specific language impairments and provide extra support to allow them to stay at mainstream schools. It will run until March 2001 but may continue for a further year