Accountability key to helping SEND pupils
Derren Hayes
Monday, September 23, 2019
Recent analysis from the National Audit Office (NAO) concluded that the current funding system for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England is "unsustainable".
The findings will come as no surprise to children's services leaders, who have warned that the rapid growth in the number of children identified with SEND is stretching education and care budgets to near breaking point and resulting in cuts to classroom support.
The impact of this can be seen in significantly poorer education outcomes for children with SEND than their peers: analysis from the Children's Commissioner for England shows children with SEND are two-and-a-half times more likely to leave education at 18 without achieving five good GCSEs, and less likely to be in post-16 training.
It is those with lower-level needs in receipt of "SEND support" that the NAO says are among the most likely to be permanently excluded from school. Latest Department for Education data shows the rate of exclusions for pupils on SEND support was 5.4 times the rate for pupils without SEND.
The extra £700m pledged for SEND provision in the 2020/21 Spending Round shows that the government recognises the extent of the problem (see analysis). This will buy some time, but more money is only part of the equation; a cultural shift in how schools and head teachers use exclusion is also needed.
There is growing evidence, gathered by Ofsted and others, on how some schools are using exclusion to manage out "problem" children. Former children's minister Edward Timpson also raised concerns about the practice in his recent review of exclusions. The government accepted all of Timpson's recommendations in principle, but last month new Education Secretary Gavin Williamson set out plans for a crackdown on classroom discipline. Such an approach will result in more children with SEND being excluded.
The Secretary of State would be better served to heed the pledge of his predecessor, who, in response to Timpson's review, announced plans to make schools accountable for the outcomes of children they permanently exclude.
If the government legislated to ensure schools monitored and oversaw the education of all excluded pupils - and their attainment and destination outcomes were factored into Ofsted judgments and league table position - it would be a powerful incentive for head teachers to think twice before pressing the exclusion button.
