A new report commissioned by both the Local Government Association and the County Councils Network has found that educational attainment amongst children with special educational needs and disabilities has not improved since reforms were introduced a decade ago.
After engaging with councils, schools, health partners, young people, and their parents, the report found the current system is not working for any of the involved parties. This comes despite councils seeing projected spending of £12 billion on SEND services – an increase of £8 billion since the reforms in 2014.
Now that the new government is in place, councils, have claimed that further reform of SEND services is ‘unavoidable’ with the system being at breaking point. As part of this call for reform, councils have urged the government to set out plans in the next 18 months to ensure that it can deliver on its manifesto pledge to make mainstream schools more inclusive.
The report has found that councils around the country are struggling to cope with the increasing number of children on Education, Health and Care Plans, stating that the system creates ‘perverse incentives’ to move responsibility between organisations, creating adversarial relationships between parents and local authorities.
According to the Local Government Association, the system must be fundamentally reformed, to ensure that outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities can benefit from improved outcomes and to make the system more financially viable for councils.
Chair of the Local Government Association, Cllr Louise Gittins, said:
“What parents and children need and deserve is a properly reformed and funding SEND system that meets the care and support requirements of every child and young people person with special needs.
“For too long, the current system has failed children with SEND and left parents struggling to ensure their child gets the support they desperately need. As set out in our Local Government White Paper, we are calling for action which builds new capacity and creates inclusion in mainstream settings, supported by adequate and sustainable long-term funding, and the writing off of councils’ high needs deficits.”
Some of the key findings in the report include:
- Half a million more children and young people are not identified as having special educational needs
- In seven of the last ten years, more children with ECHPs have been placed in special schools compared to mainstream settings
- Higher rates of identification of SED are not leading to better educational attainment
Councillor Tim Oliver, Chairman of the County Councils Network, also commented:
“The SEND system is broken. Wide-ranging reform in 2014 was well-intentioned but a decade on, it has created a system that does not work for councils, schools and parents alike. Parents often feel they struggle to access schools’ services, lack the capacity to support pupils, and councils have seen a doubling in needs over the last ten years, and have amassed deficits that threaten their financial solvency. Most importantly, education outcomes and employment opportunities have not improved for children with SEND.
“As this landmark report shows, the case for reform is unquestionable. With a new government in place and elected on a ‘change’ platform, it is vital that reform happens over the next 18 months. The government should build on this report’s clear recommendations and work with local government to create a system that is sustainable for councils and schools and works better for parents and pupils.”
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