Architects of SEND system criticise government progress

Appearing before the education select committee, Brian Lamb, who carried out a review into parental confidence in the SEN system in 2009, and Baroness Warnock, whose 1978 review led to SEN statementing, said they are concerned that there has not been a culture change in schools. They added that central government funding handed to schools for children with SEN is being spent in other areas.

Lamb said he is particularly concerned about a lack of action to address the practice of "off-rolling", where schools unofficially exclude SEN pupils. He said schools are doing this to prioritise attainment targets and because they are not investing enough money in support for SEN pupils.

"The hope from my report was that absolutely that it would change the culture within schools," Lamb said.

"That was the whole aim of my report. Schools would have to do the best for their children and therefore it would not be viable to support children with SEN by off-rolling or excluding them.

"If you look at the level of exclusions I would agree that suggests for far too many schools it is still an option to exclude those children than work with them."

He added: "[It is] not just targets and league tables. They are not investing enough in staff, their workforce and in specialist support services to be able to deal with those children adequately.

"When they encounter behaviour problems, which they could have dealt with if they had invested in the right support, then they are using off-rolling and exclusions as a way of managing them.

"We know it needn't be like that. There are many excellent schools that are doing the right thing and are not excluding children."

Former children's minister Edward Timpson is currently leading a review into school exclusions. A legal bid to give more protection from exclusion to autistic schoolchildren whose condition is linked to physical aggression got under way yesterday.

Lamb also said that the school funding system is in need of reform as schools that invest in SEN support are being "penalised" and those that spend that money elsewhere across the school budget are being let "off the hook".

"Schools that are doing the right thing in relation to (investing in support for) children with SEN are in effect getting penalised," he said.

"More children and parents want to go to the school because it has got the right ethos. But [the schools] don't, unless they have a very enlightened local authority which delegates a lot of additional money, get the financial reward and the capacity to keep doing that.

"At the same time other schools in the same area are let off the hook."

Warnock said action is also needed to ensure that Ofsted rewards schools that demonstrate inclusivity and support their SEN pupils.

"Ofsted is playing a contradictory role," she said.

"They are looking for academic excellence and officially they also should be giving acknowledgement to schools that are genuinely inclusive and take pride in what they do for children with special needs.

"But I think Ofsted very often doesn't take that into account at all. So schools are described by Ofsted as requiring improvement when in fact they are doing very well by the children. Ofsted needs to take a look at itself."

Lamb and Warnock were giving evidence to the education committee's SEND inquiry, which is reviewing the success reforms to the system brought about through the Children and Families Act 2014, which replaced SEN statements with education, health and care plans.

The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.