SEND | Schools Week

‘Shocking failure of SEND system’ highlighted in damning NAO report

The government’s own auditor has revealed that insufficient funding and severely stretched council budgets have left pupils with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) without the support they need. Campaigners say the findings reveal a “shocking failure” of the SEND system. The National Audit Office (NAO) report also reveals that local authorities’ spending on independent […]

SEND review launched to tackle ‘postcode lottery’ of support

The Department for Education has today launched a review into tackling the “postcode lottery” of support services available for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – just five years after launching its own major reforms to the sector. The SEND review aims to improve the services available to families and equip school staff to […]

SENCos won’t have to prove pupils need exam reader help

Special educational needs coordinators requesting permission to use readers for pupils will no longer have to provide evidence the extra help is needed, exam boards have announced. The Joint Council for Qualifications, which represents the four GCSE and A-level exam boards, has announced that from next year, SENCos will no longer have to complete a […]

Proportion of pupils with SEND continues to rise, and 4 more findings

Government statistics today have revealed the proportion of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities has risen for a third consecutive year. The data shows that, as of January, there were 1,318,300 pupils with SEND in England, representing 14.9 per cent of the total pupil population. Here’s five key findings from the stats. 1. Number […]

Rejected special school bids in areas facing biggest shortfalls

The majority of local authorities that have been refused new specialist schools will run out of places three years from now, Schools Week analysis shows. The Department for Education announced on Monday that 39 local authorities had been successful in their bids for new special needs or alternative provision schools, out of 65 to apply. […]

School forced to pay £270k for healthcare of disabled pupils

A school has been forced to pay £270,000 for nursing assistants to help three pupils with profound long-term disabilities because the local health agency refuses to cover the costs, according to the headteacher. Sabrina Hobbs, head of a specialist academy in Shrewsbury, said her local clinical commissioning group (CCG) paid for the pupils’ healthcare at […]

The lost generation: Are we failing England’s deaf children?

Deaf children in England fall a whole grade behind their peers at GCSE, according to new analysis that has prompted warnings of a “lost generation” of young people. The National Deaf Children’s Society analysed Department for Education data, and found that deaf children achieved an average GCSE grade of 3.9, historically a grade D, while […]

Does Ofsted’s draft inspection framework pass the inclusion test?

The beefed up focus on special needs and disabilities in Ofsted’s draft inspection framework is welcome, but there’s more they could do if they really want to incentivise schools to be inclusive, notes Adam Boddison Earlier this year, I made the case that under Ofsted’s education inspection framework (EIF) no school should be able to […]

Practise what you preach on SEND, Ofsted told

A literacy charity has praised Ofsted for its “unprecedented” intervention on behalf of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities – but warned that its words “must be turned into action”. In its annual report published on Tuesday, the inspectorate was critical of the high exclusion rates of SEND pupils in mainstream schools, refusals by […]