Pioneering work by Oxfordshire County Council for children with special education needs is set to be copied across Britain.

The Independent Panel for Special Educational Advice (IPSEA), a national parents advice group, has begun a campaign to get other authorities to follow Oxfordshire's lead.

Last year the council launched a review of services supporting children with special education needs.

The review led to measures which gave parents greater representation in their children's future and provided greater transparency in council decisions on children's admissions to special schools.

IPSEA has decided to model the guidance it gives nationally on Oxfordshire's example.

Zoe Patrick, who led the investigation for the county council's learning and culture scrutiny committee, said: "It's a real achievement to have six months of hard work being promoted."

Within 48 hours of launching its campaign, IPSEA received more than 250 requests for guidance from councils and parents across Britain.

Oxfordshire County Council's investigation was the first of its kind.

The county's policy on including special needs children in mainstream schools has been criticised by the Oxfordshire Secondary Heads Association and staff at several special schools including Fitzwaryn School, in Wantage, and Woodeaton Manor School and Iffley Mead School, which have been threatened with closure.

Parents have claimed mainstream education is not suitable for their children and they face a long bureaucratic battle to get their children specialist education.