The urgent need for reform of the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system in England is arguably the greatest challenge facing the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson. A crisis that built up over the past decade, and whose full impact was eased but also disguised by Conservative measures, has escalated to the point where it is impossible to ignore.
The number of children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which grant statutory entitlements to support, has risen by 180,000 or 71% in six years, and now makes up 5% of all pupils in English schools. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) set out last week, around half the overall increase in school funding over the past decade has gone towards helping these pupils and around 1 million others who have high needs but not an EHCP. But despite funding increases, waiting times for assessment remain high while children’s needs go unmet, and parents are driven to distraction by their struggles to access suitable provision.
Local authorities, schools and families often clash over special needs arrangements, but all agree the system is broken. An accounting fudge known as the statutory override, which has allowed around £3.3bn in deficits linked to special needs overspends to be kept off council balance sheets since 2020, is due to expire in 2026.
Ms Phillipson has indicated the current government’s direction of travel, which will be towards increased specialist provision within mainstream schools. This is consistent with her overall emphasis on inclusion and Labour’s attempts to rebalance resources away from the independent sector (for example, by adding VAT to school fees). What the government does not have, yet, is a worked-out plan. The upcoming children’s wellbeing bill is largely focused on other areas, including breakfast clubs.
Curriculum reform is one opportunity for improvement. The steep rise in autism spectrum disorders and mental health needs (including ADHD) among young people is a pattern across high-income countries and not limited to the UK. So it would be wrong to only blame Conservative education policies including the replacement of GCSE coursework with exams and budget cuts. Nevertheless, some experts believe that schools have become less hospitable and flexible places for children with diverse learning needs, and one thing ministers should commit to is further research. It is very hard to respond constructively to such a significant social change when the underlying reasons are poorly understood.
For a government that is determined to stick to tight spending limits, and with departments competing for budget increases, the options are unpalatable. Building up capacity in mainstream schools will cost money and take time. And while the IFS is right to point to the high cost of individual children being placed in independent special schools, funding cannot simply be withdrawn. Past decisions must be honoured and children’s need for stability respected. The mismatch between entitlements and resources is destructive, and efforts should be made to reduce the system’s competitive, adversarial aspects. But change must be a gradual process.
The facts and figures laid out by the IFS and others are important. But it is even more essential to remember what is at stake. Participation in education is a step towards the world of work and adult life. A school system that can accommodate every child is in all our best interests.
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