The Latest Breaking News from Send

Legal rights must be retained for children with special educational needs

Letter: Campaigners and Send parents including Chris Packham and Sally Phillips urge ministers to work with families and organisations to preserve individual provision and improve accountability in the system

The Guardian - UK · Oct 8

Labour Send changes at risk as parents rush to secure support, say experts

Overhaul of special education in England could unravel, thinktank finds, because of ‘use it before you lose it’ dynamic

The Guardian - UK · Oct 7

‘Just like my big brothers’: boy with cerebral palsy passes GCSEs with eye-tracking technology

Patrick McCabe’s herculean feat shows limits and possibilities of special educational needs and disabilities system

The Guardian - UK · Oct 2

Inclusion bases in mainstream schools – the evidence for this government policy is lacking

Government plans for schools in England have set out a vision for inclusive mainstream education. This would see children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) learning in the same place as their peers without these needs. A central feature of these plans are “inclusion bases”.

The Conversation · Jun 30

Record increase in number of children with EHCP since documents introduced

In January this year, there were 718,838 children and young people with EHCPs

The Independent UK · Jun 25

Pernicious privatisation of special needs support

Letters: Ian Abbott says the principle of inclusion for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities will remain illusory as long as private providers are in control. Plus Sarah Lane and Robin Davies on the need for special Send schools

The Guardian - UK · Jun 11

Labour doesn’t seem to like Send schools for kids like mine – but here’s what we’ll lose if these precious places are forgotten

An autism school in Wiltshire exemplifies what’s so different about education in a tailored environment, and the outcomes for children speak for themselves, says Guardian columnist John Harris

The Guardian - UK · Jun 7

‘Attainment at all costs’ approach could undermine Send changes, school leaders in England say

Union says emphasis on academic goals conflicts with proposed measures on special educational needs provision

The Guardian - UK · May 20

Fixing systemic problems with Send funding and inclusion

Letters: Jan Shapiro calls for a searching examination of the assumptions and culture that shape practice across the Send system. Plus Mary Smith sets readers and journalists a challenge based on her granddaughter’s revision sheet

The Guardian - UK · Apr 30

Ofsted ‘actively penalising’ schools more inclusive to Send pupils, headteachers’ union warns

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said the findings should “ring serious alarm bells” for the Government’s ambitions for more pupils with Send to learn in mainstream schools

The Independent UK · Apr 29