Parents lose hope as watchdog says Send system broken

Families of youngsters with particular schooling wants and disabilities (Send) have misplaced confidence in a system that “often falls short” and is failing to enhance youngsters’s outcomes, the public-spending watchdog says.

Despite funding rising by 58% over the previous decade, to £10.7bn, the system is financially “unsustainable” and “in urgent need of reform”, the National Audit Office (NAO) warns.

There are an estimated 1.7 million youngsters with particular schooling wants in colleges in England.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson informed BBC News she was “determined to turn it around” nevertheless it “will take time”.

The NAO report additionally warns two-fifths of councils could possibly be prone to declaring chapter by March 2026 as a result of they’re overspending on their high-needs budgets.

None of the steps taken by the federal government “will address the significant challenges that the system faces”, report lead Emma Wilson mentioned.

“We conclude that the current system is broken,” she said.

“It is not delivering positive outcomes for children and young people.”

The report additionally highlights issues the Department for Education doesn’t know what number of areas shall be wanted sooner or later, in mainstream colleges or different settings, for kids with Send.

And the NAO is asking the federal government to contemplate “whole-system reform”.

When Dylan was simply two and a half, his mom, Claire Dyson, knew he was autistic – nevertheless it took almost 10 years earlier than he was given a prognosis.

“I was so relieved – but when I gave it to the school, there was no real additional support,” Mrs Dyson, from Huddersfield, says.

Dylan was struggling in mainstream college however his wants didn’t require a special-needs setting “so was kind of in between”.

“It’s an emotional and mental battle – but you have to smile through it and get through it, as you’ve got this little person there that needs you to fight,” Mrs Dyson says.

Now home-schooling Dylan, she agrees with the report’s advice to construct a extra built-in system that features the NHS.

“I find doctors don’t speak to schools, schools don’t speak to health professionals,” Mrs Dyson says.

“If everybody was on the same page and communicated better, years waiting for a diagnosis would be cut, so you wouldn’t be fighting for so long.”

Kirklees Council said it, like most local authorities, was under increasing pressure to support those with additional needs and had argued for many years the funding it received had not kept pace with demand.

The NAO is also recommending developing a plan to make the education system more inclusive.

Currently, there are limited incentives for schools, as performance data focuses on academic attainment, it says.

Head teacher of New Bewerley Community School in Leeds, Juli Aldwinkle, says her school accepts any child regardless of their need – but some others have a smaller Send cohort because “they are able to say no because they can’t meet the need”.

The rainbow room in her school has places for 20 children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), to learn through play and sensory activities.

They also have access to mainstream education, with their peers – but there is a waiting list within the school for those spots.

Many of the children that have a place have very high needs and should be in a specialist school – but there are currently no places available.

“It means that we have children with needs that we are trying to meet within a mainstream classroom without the support they individually require – and that has a knock-on effect on the other children within a classroom,” Mrs Aldwinkle says.

The report says many special schools around the country are full – and together, they are supporting an extra 9,500 students.

National Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman said the warning lights “are flashing red” – and with out correct funding, “things will get even worse and the system may face complete collapse”.

Both head trainer unions and native authorities are calling for the federal government to prioritise additional Send funding at subsequent week’s price range – and for councils’ high-needs deficits to be written off.

There are additionally requires the federal government to determine whether or not to increase a particular deal separating these deficits from general council budgets, to stop native authorities from declaring chapter.

Ms Phillipson mentioned: “I recognise the pressures that this is placing on councils” however “there is no magic wand – we cannot fix this overnight”.

The authorities can also be introducing a report-card system subsequent 12 months, to interchange one-word Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) judgements.

“How schools can do more around inclusion and support for children with special educational needs will be an important part of that,” Ms Phillipson added.