News

£215 million to adapt building for SEND pupils won’t go to most needy

Special needs funding is now being allocated as “a blunt instrument”, with cash handed out based on population growth,...

Jess Staufenberg
Jess Staufenberg
News

Private special school places cost £480 million per year

A lack of state-funded places is forcing councils to spend hundreds of millions of pounds to send pupils to...

Jess Staufenberg
Jess Staufenberg
Opinion

An autism diagnosis doesn’t mean other special needs are being missed

An autism diagnosis doesn’t mean other special needs are being missed – it’s just the first step in the...

Expert Contributor
Expert Contributor
News

Autism diagnosis can cause other special needs to be ‘neglected’

Schools are struggling to support the rising numbers of pupils diagnosed with autism because the label means other learning...

Jess Staufenberg
Jess Staufenberg
Opinion

How SEND became a headline issue in 2016

There have been a few low points, but champions for pupils with SEND still emerged this year, says Anita...

Expert Contributor
Expert Contributor
News

Half of new special free schools specialise in autism

Autism-specific schools make up almost half of all special needs free schools. The “more complex” requirements of autistic pupils...

Jess Staufenberg
Jess Staufenberg
News

Councils face £600m blackhole in special needs funding

More than half a billion pounds must be found by 2025 to top up an already unsustainable special needs...

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Schools struggle as autism diagnoses rise 25 per cent

Schools are “struggling” to provide for autistic pupils following a 25 per cent increase in autism diagnoses in the...

Jess Staufenberg
Jess Staufenberg
News

Schools struggle with rise in special provision requests

The Exams Officers’ Association (EOA) is pushing for a consultation with Ofqual to review exam access for students with...

Billy Camden
Billy Camden