Last week’s Schools Week investigation into education, health and care plans (EHCPs) highlighted that a critical part of the SEND system is clearly broken.
Analysis of EHCPs in our 57 schools in Lift (five of which are special schools) shows that they frequently neither reflect children’s needs nor how these needs present in the classroom and how they can be adequately addressed.
Ignoring the extremely poor examples, EHCPs are frequently too general and simply refer to what most people would recognise as effective, high-quality teaching. They can also be heavily influenced by parental opinion rather than professional expertise. On outcomes, they are typically too broad and not nearly ambitious enough.
In addition, many local authorities still just allocate TA hours. We find that many do not include any additional external professional services such as health and/or care services.
All of this amounts to a picture of a system crying out for a review and a fresh start. So what might that look like?
From labelling to inclusion
One of the sector’s biggest challenges is convincing parents that mainstream schools can meet their children’s needs. Too often, the narrative around SEND provision focuses on cost, complexity and difference rather than inclusion, ambition, and high standards.
When parents feel their child’s needs are not being identified early enough or met effectively, this results in demands for EHCPs and specialist placements. In some cases, children are withdrawn from school altogether.
But securing an EHCP focuses on proving need rather than supporting it, and labelling rather than inclusion.
What if, instead, we built an inclusive education system on the premise that every child has a special educational need? After all, each deserves to be known, noticed and supported to flourish regardless of their start points.
Less than 10 per cent of children with SEN attend special schools in the UK. The vast majority are educated in mainstream settings. To ensure these pupils thrive, mainstream schools must be properly resourced and trained to meet their diverse needs effectively.
There is much to welcome in the government’s mooted SEND proposals, including national standards, enhanced accountability and digital EHCPs.
But to effect real change, we must go further.
The right drivers
First, we need to shift from funding-driven diagnosis to needs-led identification. A needs-led system, where support is tailored to what a child requires to succeed rather than a label, would ensure that resources go where they are most effective. It would also reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.
Second, rather than forcing schools to prove need before accessing support, we should empower them to deliver high-quality, personalised interventions as part of a graduated response.
This means:
- Providing every mainstream school with the tools and resources to meet a broad range of needs, without waiting for an EHCP.
- Ensuring EHCPs are reserved for those requiring specialist provision, not a mechanism to unlock basic support.
- Focusing on early years and primary to ensure learning difficulties are addressed before they escalate.
Third, let’s focus on outcomes, not outputs. Rather than relying on person-heavy models with blunt prescriptions for “support hours”, we should shift investment from staffing ratios to effective, evidence-based interventions. To make SEND provision proactive, not reactive, we should be investing in:
- Learning tools that personalise support, like a personal AI assistant for each pupil.
- High-leverage interventions that target the root causes of learning difficulties, such as evidence-based speech and language support, care and therapeutic interventions.
- Specialist training for all staff – not just SENDCos – so that every teacher is equipped to meet the diverse needs of their pupils.
Finally, we must transition to child-centered digital EHCPs. These should celebrate children’s capabilities, clearly identify their needs and recommend personalised educational, care and therapeutic support packages, with clear outcomes that are ambitious, achievable and measurable.
The challenge of restoring trust in mainstream education for SEND families is significant. But it is entirely achievable with clear national standards, needs-led assessment, personalised support and investment in innovation.
High standards and inclusion go hand in hand, and we must build a system that delivers both for every pupil.
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