Nobody wants to abandon a sinking ship unless they can be confident there’s a reliable lifeboat. Launching the schools white paper and SEND consultation, Bridget Phillipson tried to reassure families and professionals alike that the new SEND system will not just be a lifeboat, but a stronger, sturdier, better-equipped ship with a reliable captain and crew.
Understandably, parent groups and some teaching unions are nervous. Previous attempts to reset the system have failed. The 2014 act promised co-production, meeting needs early and a less adversarial system. The 2022 SEND review promised “the right support, in the right place, at the right time”, improving outcomes, restoring confidence and making the system financially sustainable.
With little difference between the ambitions of previous reforms and those presented this time, confidence in the government’s ability to get it right this time is low.
For specialist FE, there is some hope within these reforms. It is tempered by uncertainty and a lack of detail in key areas, so it is essential that ministers and officials continue to listen to the sector, understand the nuances and challenges, and fulfil their commitment to work up the detail in partnership with us.
Reality check
Before publication, we asked for five things.
Firstly, we asked the government to recognise that specialist FE has a key role to play in an inclusive system. We did not want to see definitions of inclusion as place-based or driven by cost. It is pleasing to see that there is a recognised role for specialist post-16 in providing quality education for those who need it and in offering training and outreach to support a more inclusive mainstream.
But there are big questions about the development of funding bands for specialist placements, and we have concerns about access to appropriate levels of funding for the minority of students with SEND who cannot be accommodated within block funding limits.
Second, we wanted fair, sustainable funding for both mainstream and specialist colleges. The commitment to include FE within the £1.6bn inclusive mainstream fund and the £200m training pot is a step in the right direction, but FE must be given a proportionate share.
We will be pushing back on any proposals that conflate specialist colleges with independent special schools, which themselves have been largely mischaracterised, making three key points: the landscape in FE is entirely different, with no maintained specialist sector; specialist colleges already have stringent DfE contracts, financial compliance rules and inspection; and cost per place is reducing, not increasing.
Voices and choices
Third, we asked the government to recognise that colleges are not schools. Solutions designed for schools and imposed on FE risk unintended consequences. With 90 per cent of EHCP holders already attending mainstream FE, the case for rebalancing away from specialist placements is far less clear than for schools.
There is a risk that reviews of EHCPs at transition points might result in a loss of specialist placements for special school leavers who need them, particularly post-19. An ambitious vision for inclusive mainstream should not prevent specialist placements, which have a critical role in ensuring that young people are included in society during and after college.
Fourth, we asked for some specific proposals to address SEND issues in FE. At last, we have a consultation document that acknowledges some of them, although we need to work on the detail: smoother transitions from school to college, investment in high-quality education and workforce development, and an end to the “cliff edge” where support suddenly dries up when young people leave college.
Finally, we wanted our new ship to be based on a firm foundation of statutory rights, with the voices and choices of young people and their families heard. The assurances made by the secretary of state about bolstering and increasing statutory protections, including for individualised support plans, EHCPs and the tribunal, must not be hollow promises. The quality of SEND support must be raised while keeping the foundations of accountability and entitlements firmly in place.
Whilst the new ship is being built, we cannot abandon the hundreds of thousands of young people currently in the system. They must be afforded the right to access high-quality FE and specialist support, not be left to sink or swim alone.
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