Commenting on a new report which shows the ‘massive’ inequalities in access to the SEND system, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Education should be a great leveller, which enables all children to thrive. Instead, chronic underfunding, particularly of SEND provision, has exacerbated existing inequalities. It is especially unfair that children with SEND from low-income families face this double whammy of disadvantage.
“The upcoming Education White Paper must bring radical change. The NEU wants to see a redesigned system, both in mainstream and special schools, with reformed curriculum, assessment and accountability mechanisms. All of this must be underpinned with significant investment in specialist support roles.
“Alongside this, the much-anticipated Child Poverty Strategy must scrap the two-child limit and benefit cap, and boost families’ incomes, in order to set every child up for the best start in life.”