Special Educational Needs and Disabilities: Special Report

The government has set out a series of fundamental reforms to how the support system will better meet the needs of children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

The improvement plan comes less than a decade after previous reforms to SEND services which critics say were inadequately funded and contributed to creating a system that is struggling to cope with demand.

The latest reforms aim to increase places for SEND pupils in mainstream and specialist provision, clarify the roles and responsibilities of health, education and social care agencies within the system, develop and test standardised support packages and introduce compulsory mediation in an attempt to reduce conflict between councils and parents.

The number of school pupils in receipt of SEND support or with an education, health and care plan has risen by more than 50 per cent since 2014 and while funding has increased, it is not at the rate needed to keep pace with demand, say local government leaders.

Meanwhile, the first round of inspections of SEND services identified more than half of areas with significant problems. With schools struggling to meet children's learning needs, particularly during the pandemic, exclusions of SEND pupils have risen, leading some councils to develop targeted support in an attempt to tackle this.

CYP Now's special report on SEND highlights the key challenges facing the system, summarises measures in the government's improvement plan to tackle these, and showcases examples of innovative practice among councils and education settings.