A consultation on the government’s SEND review has been extended for three weeks after accessible versions of the document were finally published today.
Last week, Schools Week reported how the near six-week wait had excluded some of the communities the SEND review seeks to support from the consultation process.
A large print version was published alongside the review in late March, with British Sign Language and easy-read versions promised in “early April”. Children’s minister Will Quince then pledged to get them out by the end of last month, which they also missed.
The government has now published the documents. In an update this morning, DfE said the consultation closing date had been extended from July 1 to July 22 to “give participants time to use the new materials and submit their responses”.
A guide to the SEND review for children and young people has also been published.
In a tweet, Quince said: “I’ve listened to your concerns and I’m extending the SEND Review consultation to July 22.
“A full, fair, open consultation is key to our vision for more inclusivity. We’ve published a suite of accessible versions of our Green Paper so even more people can get involved.”
Last week, Simon Knight, the head of Frank Wise special school in Oxfordshire, said the lack of accessible materials was “hugely concerning and is materially impacting on the ability of our students to have their voice heard”.
“It is tragically ironic that a consultation designed to address the dysfunctionality of the SEND system is, through the lack of suitable adapted materials, disadvantaging those very people the consultation is intended to improve outcomes for.”
As a a SEND parent and a school employee I witness first hand the total absence of a supportive, consistent and effective SEND education.
The funds allocated by the Local Authorities to the schools for the support and assistance of their SEND pupils are misspent and used for everything else but what they’ve been primarily awarded for. The children are the least of this mainstream teacher’s priorities as they are not reliable to achieve national targets and deadlines. The behaviour towards both the students and their parents is of content and we’re regarded as an inconvenience. My personal solution as of many other parents to safeguard our children’s mental , physical and emotional well-being is of homeschooling. The government, the department of education, the professionals and society in general are failing us , are failing all. A review is not the solution , effective change is the only way.