FEATU


FEAT RE FOCUS SEND TURE FOCUS:: SEND


SENDpro


SEND pr vis on expectations of a fa rer,, inclusive system rovisiion: expect ctations of a fairirer, inclusive syste


needs: the increased exclusion of pupils with special educational needs, the soaring rate of requests for Education Health and Care plans (EHC plans), the movement of pupils into special schools, and, in a handful of schools, off-rolling. There are a number of reasons behind thes e


challenges . Funding


Fundin


With the pressures of additional demand for EHC plans, special schools, alternative provision and independent and non-maintained school


placements, local authority high needs spending has gone through the ceiling and most local authorities are in deficit on their high needs budgets.


I


n our first feature this month on SEND, we hear fromDame Christine Lenehan, tor of the Council for Disabled Children (part of the National Children’s Bureau), who examines the current state of SEND provisi iion in the UK and calls for a national v sion to ach eve a tru y fair and inclusive systemfor all.


n our first fe Direci feature thismonth on SEND,


we hear from Dame Christine Lenehan, D rector of the Counci for Disabled Children (part of the National Children’s Bureau), who examines the current state of SEND prov s on in the UK and calls fo visioni


for a national to achiei ve a trully fair and inclusive system for all.


The world of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) has seen a flurry of recent activity. In a string of back-to-school


announcements, the Government unveiled a major review of the SEND reforms.Within a few days of this, the National Audit Office issued a report on spending on SEND support, which highlighted the lack of accountability and sustainability within the system and provided evidence that funding has not kept pace with rising demand. This, in spite of an extra £700 million for high needs funding announced in the budget as part of the wider schools settlement. So will these dev elopments contribute to a fairer, and more inclusive, system of SEND support?Well, it depends.


A systemunder pressure A system under pressure


The system is clearly challenged. National data provides evidence of the difficulties schools are having in meeting pupils’ special educational


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A report by the ISOS Partnership for the Local Government Association identified an anticipated deficit in local authority high needs budgets totalling between £889 million and £1.2 billion in 2020. So clearly finding the money to meet children’s needs remains a challenge, even when the extra £700 million is taken into account. A recent report from the National Audit Office, ‘Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in England’, identified some of the reasons for the increased numbers of pupils attending special schools. It also pointed to ‘funding pressures limiting mainstream schools ’ capacity to support pupils with high needs effectively’.


But is funding alone responsible for schools becoming less responsive to the full range of pupils’ needs? And can extra funding by itself enable mainstream schools to become more inclusive or support schools in making provision for pupils with special educational needs better? For the past four months, on behalf of the Department for Education, the Council for Disabled Children has been holding workshops around the country to look at how the curren t additional money for SEN, up to £6,000 per pupil, is spent in schools. Are we clear about how this money is spent, how it is focused, what it delivers and whether it is target based on evidence of what works and what is needed? Not surprisingly, we have seen very good practice but also lots of blurry accounting. The key is understanding wha t


2 6 www .education-today.co.uk.co.uk


is ordinarily available in schools and then being clear on how this extra money is targeted. Providing good teaching (even with the


challenges of a narrowed curriculum), showing a positive approach to working with parents an d demonstrating a values-based approach to SEN are all consistent features of inclusive schools .


Expectations and EHC P ans Expectations and EHC Pllans


The Children and Families Act rightly set out high expectations for chil families. This has be


en continually reinforced. In dren with SEND and their


December 2018, the then Secretary of State Damian Hinds said :“Being a parent, we all want the very best for our children.We want them to attend a school that supports them to thrive, go on to higher or further education or training, find a job that’s right for them, and to live happy and fulfilled lives.


“For children with special educational needs this is no different. It is important that they have the right support in place at school – whether that is in a mainstream setting, with additional support, or in a special school.”


While the expectations are reasonable and right, the system has often struggled to fulfil them.


The Council for Disabled Children is not


convinced that the reason for this is that there ha s been a sudden explosion in the number of children with SEND, or in the complexity of children’s needs.


While the Children and Families Act raised the expectation that support is available, the SEN Support system, which replaced School Action and School Action Plus, is so under-developed and under-promoted that many families believe that an EHC plan is the only route to accessing support and for those raised expectations to be met.


An unforeseen consequence of this is tha t there is a commentary which, if we are not careful, begins to blame children and young people and their families for the challenges the system faces.We must be wary of positioning the extra numbers of children with additional needs identified in EHC plans as the cause of the many challenges the system faces.


Octobe r 2019 2019


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