Commenting on the report by the EPI into SEND provision and support in schools in England , Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“That there is clear evidence of a postcode lottery in SEND support is no surprise to us. For some years it has been clear that where many academy schools were refusing admissions of SEND students and suggesting 'needs could be met better elsewhere' the choice of school and educational opportunity for these students was being denied. It is good to see this being highlighted and we want to see the government urgently looking into the reasons why.
‘Linking persistent absence to unmet SEND need is also a concern that we have been consistently raising. Calling for child development to be reintroduced into initial teacher training and ongoing CPD is also important.
‘Addressing earlier and more effective Camhs support in schools is welcomed but this must be with mental health specialists, not adding to teachers load or trying to do it on the cheap. It won't work.
‘The raft of reasonable recommendations in this report have all been raised as key issues in making the system more inclusive and tackling the SEND crisis by the education sector as well as parents. The SEND crisis has now gone beyond the tipping point, it is time to act”.