A whistleblower from a school near Norwich fears a decision to close a class for youngsters with additional needs will see children "left behind".

Lingwood Primary Academy has opted to stop running a class for children with special educational needs (SEND) called the Launchpad from this September.

While the class is not a formal special needs unit, it provides extra support for children between seven and 11, with around 20 children in the group.

However, from September the group is not going to be running, with the children from the class integrated into the school's main class.

The school's leaders says the move will not see any provision removed from SEND pupils and they would continue to receive the support they need in main classes.

But a whistleblower from the school said: "Lots of children have really benefitted from the Launchpad and I fear they are going to be left behind.

"I do not feel like the level of support they will get in the main class will be the same and they will find it tough.

"It is such a shame and I do not know why they have done this."

Hazel Cubbage, chief executive of HEART Education Trust, which runs the school, however, said the trust did not want to be associated with SEND children being "segregated".

She said: "Launchpad is a classroom where we have recently taught adapted curricula to a group of higher needs pupils together - this was appropriate for their particular needs at that particular time.

"We will continue to meet the needs of pupils with SEND, in accordance with our statutory duty.

"We are constantly reviewing the quality of the provision we provide to all pupils and we review our class structures annually too - including which class group is in which room - and how teachers are allocated across those classes."