SEND System is ‘Broken’

Families of children with special education needs and disabilities (Send) have lost confidence in a system that "often falls short" and is failing to improve children’s outcomes, the public spending watchdog says.

BBC News reports that despite funding rising by 58% over the past 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 children with special education needs in schools in England.

Speaking in the House of Commons last Thursday, Schools Minister Catherine McKinnell said reform will be “huge and complex” and will come “in due course”.

'Whole-system reform'

The NAO report also warns two-fifths of councils could be at risk of declaring bankruptcy by March 2026 because they are overspending on their high-needs budgets.

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

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

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

The report also highlights concerns the Department for Education does not know how many spaces will be needed in the future, in mainstream schools or other settings, for children with Send.

And the NAO is asking the government to consider "whole-system reform".

National Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman said the warning lights “are flashing red” - and without proper investment, “things will get even worse and the system may face complete collapse”.

Both head teacher unions and local authorities are calling for the government to prioritise extra Send funding in the Budget- and for councils' high-needs deficits to be written off.

There are also calls for the government to decide whether to extend a special deal separating those deficits from overall council budgets, to prevent local authorities from declaring bankruptcy.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told BBC News: "I recognise the pressures that this is placing on councils." But, she added, "there is no magic wand - we cannot fix this overnight".

The government is also introducing a report-card system next year, to replace 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.