The government has published a new green paper on support for children with special educational needs in English schools. A long-awaited government review proposes making a number of changes to provide children with more effective support sooner.
Plans set out by the Department of Education aim to resolve various problems with the support system for children with special educational needs, which has been strongly criticised by parents. It says the new system will resolve long-standing problems.
However, some parents are angry at the delays to the review and say its publication is already too late. So what exactly is SEND, and what changes does the government propose making to support in schools?
What is SEND and what does it stand for?
SEND stands for special educational needs and disabilities. It refers, in particular, to the provision of additional support to children who need it in educational settings.
How many children have special educational needs?
In 2019, it was estimated that 1.4 million children in England needed SEND support in schools. The proportion of children who need SEND support has been increasing since 2017.
What does the green paper on SEND say?
The government’s green paper on SEND support in schools in England proposes the introduction of a single SEND and alternative provision system. This system will impose new standards for support provided to children in education, health and care settings.
It criticises the existing SEND support system as “inconsistent, process-heavy and increasingly adversarial”, causing parents “difficulties and delays accessing the right support for their child”. A comprehensive overhaul is proposed to rectify these issues.
In particular, the government says there is currently a “postcode lottery” in SEND support, with inconsistencies between different areas. The government says this “leaves too many [children] with worse outcomes than their peers”.
The government’s green paper on SEND proposes providing extra funding, “targeted where it makes the most difference”. It also calls for closer collaboration between schools, councils and healthcare bodies to provide more consistent and co-ordinated support.
How is the government reforming SEND provision?
Among the government’s planned reforms to the SEND support system in England are a focus on earlier intervention, with schools receiving a “clear, tiered package of support” from alternative provision (AP) settings and “targeted support” in mainstream schools.
There are also plans to introduce a national framework for local authorities, specifying the level of support required for children with the most pressing additional needs. Local dashboards are planned to make it clear to parents which bodies are responsible for particular aspects of SEND provision.
An additional £70 million in new funding will be provided as part of the reforms, the Department of Education says. Some £10 million will be spent on training another 200 educational psychologists.
Up to 40 more special and AP free schools will be approved, with a new performance table for AP schools. The government also says it will launch a further review into how SEND pupils “move around the school system”, with the intention of introducing a “statutory framework” taking account of this.
Parents of SEND children are being encouraged to provide their own views on the green paper as part of a 13-week public consultation. Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi urged parents and professionals to “help shape a future policy that works for them”.
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