SEND | Schools Week

SEND review ‘steering group’ appointed to push through reforms

Children’s minister defends delays to landmark review and warns Covid has ‘intensified’ issues

Spending review: What schools can expect as pay freeze lifted

School leaders welcome end of pay freeze and new SEND funding, but fear no extra cash for wage rises and a new DfE cost-cutting drive

Hanging by a thread: How the system is failing SEND children

Shocking reports detail how vulnerable children and their families are left to fall into crisis

DfE commissioner to take over ‘failing’ Birmingham SEND provision

Intervention is first of its kind by the government

Treasury marks DfE’s 11,500-word homework laying out its vision

The Department for Education has published an 11,590-word “outcome delivery plan,” detailing the wide-ranging goals and performance metrics it agreed with the Treasury last year to justify its funding. Sector leaders welcomed the move to greater transparency and accountability. But they said the DfE’s plan lacked detail overall and lacked metrics in significant areas, including […]

Ofsted plans expansion of area SEND inspections to include all pupils in AP

Ofsted plans to “broaden the scope” of its area SEND inspections to look at support for all pupils in alternative provision, amid warnings that the pandemic has exacerbated issues for some of the most vulnerable children. Chief inspector Amanda Spielman said the “intertwined” nature of commissioning and response strategies for SEND and AP provision meant […]

Admissions shake-up in September to end struggle for in-year school places

The Department for Education has confirmed a shake-up of in-year admissions to stop schools turning away “challenging” pupils will come into force in September. It also set out multiple changes to the reforms first proposed last June after analysing consultation feedback from councils, academy trusts and parents. Previous investigations by Schools Week have revealed how vulnerable […]

Home education among pupils with EHC plans up by a quarter in one year

The number of children with education, health and care plans being educated at home has risen by almost a quarter in just one year. Data published by the Department for Education today shows that 3,660 pupils with EHC plans were in elective home education as of January this year, up from 2,983 in January 2020. […]

SEND pupils ‘not getting enough help’ in mainstream schools, says Ofsted

Ofsted has warned some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are “not getting enough help” in mainstream schools — even when receiving specialist support. The schools watchdog today released its ‘Supporting SEND’ report which investigates how children and young people’s needs are met in mainstream education. It found specialist support from multi-agency services […]