PAC report on support for children and young people with SEND

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Commenting on a report of the Public Accounts Committee inquiry into support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:

“This report highlights the full drastic extent of the crisis in SEND which school leaders, parents and unions have been telling the government about for years. It is a damning indictment of the lethargy of the previous government to effectively address the lack of provision and support available. 

“Teachers have described navigating the current system as ‘spinning plates on a roller coaster’. Recommending that a plan of action is in place to resolve the lack of provision, support and resources is clearly good to see and not before time. We look forward to working with the Department for Education on timely and effective solutions so that teachers and support staff can do their jobs effectively with all students.

“Highlighting the postcode lottery of SEND provision is important and the fact that Black SEND students are disproportionately less likely to access appropriate support is still very worrying.

“The High Needs funding system is fundamentally broken. With EHCP numbers continuing to rise the current £4.6billion shortfall in SEND funding will only continue to grow.

“Understanding what inclusion looks like is clearly at the heart of building a system for SEND children. The fact that PAC recognises that getting it right on the curriculum review, accountability measures and Ofsted reforms is central to building inclusive schools is very welcome and recognises that inclusion needs to be a core factor across the education sector.”

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