The crisis in special needs education, like, seems to be getting worse, you know? According to a survey, like, nine out of 10 school leaders are finding it harder to meet pupils’ needs than they did a year ago. The National Association of Head Teachers’ (NAHT) did a poll covering England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and almost all (98%) of the respondents said they don’t have the resources to meet the needs of all their pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send). One school leader in the research, like, talked about how the levels of Send funding are “diabolical”, man. Another one mentioned how the demand for Send pupils is like, doubling in nursery and reception over the last three years, bro.
Four in five (82%) of mainstream school leaders are struggling to support pupils who need specialist provision that was agreed upon in their education, health, and care plan (EHCP), but isn’t available. The general secretary of NAHT, Paul Whiteman, mentioned how pupils’ needs are getting more complex and how many schools are having children who should be getting specialist support but are being let down due to the lack of capacity and availability in the specialist sector. He also highlighted how special schools are having a hard time meeting the demand for places and are super oversubscribed.
The government is gonna publish its plans to transform the Send system in England in a white paper. It’s expected to prioritize inclusion and better support in mainstream state schools to cut council spending on costly private provision. A Guardian analysis earlier this year showed how many English councils are in debt because of Send spending on independent special schools, man. Whiteman mentioned that while they support the idea of mainstream schools being inclusive, they need more funding, resources, and specialist staffing to support their students effectively.
Delegates at the NAHT’s annual general conference this weekend are gonna vote on motions calling for more funding, training, and support for educating Send pupils, dude. Whiteman emphasized that fixing the Send crisis is a top priority in education right now. The poll got almost 900 responses from school leaders across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, both in mainstream and specialist schools, with some saying they’re in a deficit budget position and it’s affecting the education of others in school. Another school leader mentioned how they’re at a crisis point with the level of need and what they can offer the children.
A spokesperson from the Department for Education said the government inherited a Send system on its knees and has invested an additional £1.7bn to improve provision. They mentioned how it’ll take time to restore confidence in families and deliver the improvement needed for every child to achieve and thrive. Well, not really sure why this matters, but maybe it’s just me, but it seems like there’s a lot of work to be done to fix the Send system, you know?
So, like, the crisis in special needs education is a big deal, man. School leaders are struggling to meet the needs of their pupils, and the government is trying to make changes to improve the system. It’s gonna take time and a lot of effort, but hopefully, they can make a difference and support all students effectively.
