Reforming the education system for children and young people with SEND is a gigantic task because it requires reforms to so many aspects of education.
Parents are understandably nervous, and many will be anxious that change will mean a reduction in their rights. We need to ensure that the reforms truly improve the system for every learner and aren’t just a way to cut costs.
The reforms set out in this week’s schools white paper are aimed at addressing those challenges head-on, recognising that the status quo isn’t good enough and ensuring no child loses their legal rights. The changes it sets out are well-thought through and have a real chance of making the entire 0-25 SEND system fairer, more effective and more efficient.
The fundamental shift from a system which negotiates funding for every individual towards one where schools and colleges are funded to have the capacity to meet the varied needs of all our children and young people is a game changer. The proposed new individual support plans (ISPs) will be vital in determining personal support and learning needs. But they should not be used to determine the distribution of overall funds for a college to have capacity to meet all those individual needs.
The current system has been a very poor driver for planning the complex mix of support and specialist services needed by children and young people. That’s a big part of the failing of the current system, where parents fight tooth and nail for education health and care plans (EHCPs) and too many families are let down.
Overall support needs are broadly predictable in any group of students across an area so the funding should reflect that, instead of treating student with SEND as a surprising exception. So, it is good to see the reforms proposing more accurate information about all students with SEND at all ages, not just those who have formal plans now, coupled with a more strategic approach to planning and funding that provision. That way, we can be confident that colleges will have the support in place to meet every young person’s needs.
It’s easier to say than to implement, of course, and we must protect the brilliant work colleges already do. The new funding mechanisms, revenue and capital need to underpin the large proportion of learners with SEND in mainstream college programmes, as well as those in college specialist provision. There are some particularly tricky issues for the 19-25 age group; if some are to remain in education without an EHCP they would be funded via the adult skills fund which is already overstretched and has lower funding rates. We need to do more work with officials on how many young people this would be, and how they will be impacted.
Our work with ministers and officials over the last year has given me optimism that these post-16 challenges are well understood. There’s a commitment to work with us to address them.
The reforms are likely to require more changes in schools than colleges, because inclusion of learners with SEND is generally lower in schools, resulting in soaring numbers of children placed in specialist provision in recent years. That’s where costs have soared, rather than in colleges.
The reforms also need to result in better transitions, particularly at age 16. The two or three years our young people spend at college are pivotal for dictating their adult lives. At the moment, transitions into college are often poorly planned and inconsistent, even though we can see very successful transitions in some places. All too often college students slip through the net with adult social care and health services and much more needs to be done to encourage employers to recognise the skills that young people with SEND can bring with them when they transition out to work.
The reforms are designed to ensure that the specialist services needed from age 0 to 25 are secured and available for all, from speech and language therapists to visual impairment specialists. Colleges will want to work closely with schools in their areas to ensure these specialist services are available across the whole age range.
The changes proposed are ambitious, necessary and should result in a better system. There’s no doubt it will take careful planning and close engagement to get this right, to align curriculum reforms, teacher training and specialist support, and the role of local authorities. However, there is also a huge resource to draw on, with thousands of college staff bringing their incredible expertise and passionate commitment to inclusion. And it’s good that the government views this as a long term plan to build a better system for generations to come.
It can be done and we need to help make it happen. The current system is not good enough. We need to get behind these reforms and make sure that they genuinely improve young people’s journeys through the education system so that they can work, thrive and play their full part in society.
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