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VIEWS & OPINION


Why is everyone talking about the SEND & Alternative Provision Review Green Paper?


Comment by ANNAMARIE HASSALL MBE, CEO at nasen (the National Association for Special Educational Needs)


The SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Review Green Paper was launched on 29th March 2022, arguably one of the most talked about documents to emerge from government since the implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014 legislative framework, along with the SEN Code of Practice 2015. This must be the consultation


paper of the decade, not because of the length of time this took from inception to publication but due to the pressures on what is often short- handed as the ‘SEND system’, that led to the commissioning of the review two year ago. While the title SEND Review: Right support, Right place, Right time is


not open to consultation, surely this needs to include Right resources or the SEND system will be back where it started.


In summary The SEND and AP Green Paper consultation provides a set of ideas for improving support for SEND in England. Some key considerations include: • Most importantly, the proposals are not policy, but they are an indication of the direction of travel • Until 1st July you can respond to the ideas or propose some of your own • Volume matters and we encourage readers to respond directly. If you don’t have an opinion on every consultation question, select those that are most important to you and your school, college or setting.


There is a companion paper, the Schools White Paper ‘Opportunity for


all: Strong schools with great teachers for your child’, framing the wider reforms for schools. Unlike the Green Paper, a White Paper is not a consultation, although how this is implemented will inevitable be shaped by the outcome of the SEND and AP consultation. In the meantime, schools, colleges and settings, along with parents and


carers, will be continuing to navigate a complex system where, by governments admission ‘it is not clear what support should be provided or who should pay for it’. Arguably, schools and colleges are united in a resolve to support all


learners, to achieve outcomes that matter. I don’t think I have ever met a leader who disagrees with that as a principle. Nor a Minister for that matter. The pressures on funding, lack of clarity about accountability and


workload pressures have resulted in a divided education sector where children and young people miss out on having the right support, in the right place at the right time. In a nutshell, that is the issue which is not fair and dare I say unlawful.


The SEND and AP Review Green Paper paves the way for government to join up policy and tackle the variability of funding across all phases, right up to age 25.


Shaping your response Our conversations are in progress with nasen members. We made an early start on the day the SEND and AP Green Paper Consultation was launched, discussing the legislative framework.


The following shares excerpts from feedback we’ve received: • Inclusion is vital if we are to recognise needs at an early stage. We


promote ‘inclusion by design’, meaning that a classroom is set up as inclusive from the start rather than retrospectively adapting the lesson or the environment. This will require practical examples as well as support for those in mainstream schools and colleges. • Inclusion as an overarching principle should be reflected in all responses, applying the ‘inclusion test’ to each. Inclusion requires far greater exploration, hearing about systems that are working effectively, learning from the experiences of specialist settings and sharing the expertise that is available in a local area. You may wish to comment on what you would like to see in the proposed local inclusion plans that would help schools and settings to support parents and carers.


Reflections on inclusion would fit well within consultation question 1


on national standards, question 2 on local SEND partnerships and inclusion plans, along with question 20 exploring successful implementation.


• We encourage schools and settings to say more on what they will need to increase inclusion. If this has not been possible elsewhere, this can be reflected in the final open question 22. • A new digital Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan national template has been proposed. This could be a welcome development, modernising the way that plans are shared and they are likely to increase agency, underpinning an improved, person-centred approach. We have heard concerns about data security, however that should not


hold back progress. Children and young people will need to be tech savvy and for many, the use of online learning and social media has been vital over the past two years. Data security is a wider issue that goes beyond the EHC plans. If this is of interest, you can comment on the specific consultation


question 4. This is also relevant to questions 20 and 21. • It will be important to be able to track progress of the new SEND system, so we do understand the need to have key metrics and inclusion dashboards as set out in consultation question 17. We know from our members that setting outcomes, having ambition for children and young people and their future goals is a vital starting point. If we can describe the outcomes and ensure the ambition is not limited


to a phase or level, then the KPIs and measurements can follow. • The proposal to introduce a new, mandatory SENCo National Professional Qualification (NPQ) has been greeted with a mixed response so far. Many of the SENCO members currently hold the NaSENCO award, which is a level 7, Masters qualification. Our view is that having the NPQ for SEND should not displace the NaSENCO, rather it provides a welcome alternative. We know that the depth of study required at Masters level is not for everyone.


The timing needs to be right. Rather than remove a qualification


delivered by over 40 providers, mostly Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), our view is to have both. This would give SENCos and aspiring SENCos a choice. Thoughts linked to this can be shared within consultation questions 9 and 10.


Be a change maker for SEND I want to encourage everyone to get involved in responding to this important consultation. You may wish to form a collective in your school or college and have a conversation about the areas for consultation that matter to you and your setting. Alternatively, connect with an organisation like nasen and get involved


in their consultation response. Whether you are a leader or a classroom teacher, a governor or trustee,


this is the consultation that truly matters for children and young people. A chance in a career to take a stance, shape the future.


May 2022


www.education-today.co.uk 25


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