Whole School SEND and nasen have launched a suite of videos covering specific SEND conditions on;  ADHD, Acquired Brain Injury, Autism, Down’s Syndrome, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Hearing Impairment, Physical Disability, Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Speech, Language and Communication Needs and Visual Impairment.

These are awareness level resources aimed at mainstream school colleagues. They can be found through the SEND gateway: https://www.sendgateway.org.uk/whole-school-send/find-wss-resources/nqt-videos.html

**New findings from Bath Spa University, in collaboration with nasen, calls for end to overcomplicated administrative demands on SENCOs**

**The report recommends that a single, national template should be developed for the need’s assessment process and for Education, Health and Care plans**

New research launched today reveals that three-quarters (74%) of Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) are being pulled away from supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), to fulfil overcomplicated administrative demands and unrelated duties during allocated ‘SENCO’ time.

The Time is Now: Addressing missed opportunities for Special Education Needs Support and coordination in our schools - conducted by Bath Spa University and nasen - found that time-consuming Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan requests, and complex paperwork requirements from local authorities, are preventing them from being able to carry out their role effectively. The lack of consistency in practice and clarity of process across Local Authorities was highlighted as a key driver behind the unnecessary weight of administration, as well as moves to leave the profession.

Despite a call to legalise the protection of SENCO time in The National SENCO Workload Survey, which was published by Bath Spa University, nasen and the National Education Union (NEU) in 2018, only 50% of SENCOs said they had been allocated the same time as the previous year to facilitate the role – but also faced more pressure from senior leaders.

Only 17% of SENCOs stated that they had been allocated more dedicated time to carry out their role, in comparison to the previous academic year.

Furthermore, two-thirds (67%) of those allocated ‘extra’ time, are spending it on administration tasks, instead of directly supporting children, families and teachers.

One of the key recommendations from the report is to create a single, national template for the need’s assessment process and for Education, Health and Care plans.

The report makes a number of recommendations, including specific points in response to the Timpson Review on Exclusions, which are made in relation to the development of the SENCO role at a national and local level.

To read the full report, please visit: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/schools/education/research/senco-workload/

The DfE have published the November 2019 edition of their SEND Newsletter.

You can download a copy from the NatSIP Website pdf here.

The House of Commons Education Select Committee has today published their report on SEND.
 
A generation of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities is failing to receive the support it deserves, with poorly implemented legislation leaving families facing a nightmare of bureaucracy, buck-passing and confusion, say the Education Committee in its report on Special educational needs and disabilities.

Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in England

While some children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are receiving high-quality support, many others are not getting the help they should, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). Local authorities are coming under growing financial pressure as the demand for supporting school pupils with the greatest needs rises.

In its report published today, which can be accessed here:  pdf SEND support report NAO 110919 the NAO estimates that the Department for Education (DfE) gave local authorities £9.4 billion to spend on support for pupils with SEND in 2018-19 – 24.0% of their total core grant for schools. While the DfE has increased school funding, the number of pupils identified as having the greatest needs – those in special schools and with education, health and care plans (EHC plans)1 in mainstream schools – rose by 10.0% between 2013-14 and 2017-18. Over the same period, funding per pupil dropped by 2.6% in real terms for those with high needs, and also decreased for those without EHC plans.

Local authorities are increasingly overspending their budgets for children with high needs. In 2017-18, 81.3% of councils overspent compared with 47.3% in 2013-14. This is primarily driven by a 20% increase in the number of pupils attending special schools instead of mainstream education. Local authorities have also sharply increased the amount they spend on independent special schools – by 32.4% in real terms between 2013-14 and 2017-18. In some cases, this is due to a lack of appropriate places at state special schools.

In response to overspending against these budgets, local authorities are transferring money from their budgets for mainstream schools to support pupils with high needs. They are also using up their ringfenced school reserves, which have dropped by 86.5% in the last four years. This is not a sustainable approach.

Today, the government has announced the launch of a cross-cutting review of SEND Five years on from the Children and Families Act, it is time to review how the reforms it introduced are supporting children and young people with SEND and make sure they are being implemented as well as possible.

The internal review will look across education, health and care to consider:

  • · The evidence on how the system can provide the highest quality support that enables children and young people with SEND to thrive and prepare for adulthood, including employment;
  • · Better helping parents to make decisions about what kind of support will be best for their child;
  • · Making sure support in different local areas is consistent, and that high-quality support is available across the country;
  • · How we strike the right balance of state-funded provisions across inclusive mainstream and specialist places;
  • · Aligning incentives and accountability for schools, colleges and local authorities to make sure they provide the best possible support for children and young people with SEND;
  • · Understanding what is causing the demand for education, health and care plans; and
  • · Ensuring that public money is spent in an efficient, effective and sustainable manner, placing a premium on securing high quality outcomes for those children and young people who need additional support.

The government also announced today that Tony McArdle, Lead Commissioner in Northamptonshire County Council, will be the new chair of the SEND System Leadership Board, which brings together sector leaders across Education, Health and Social Care to drive improvements. He will act as an independent advisor to the review, alongside Education Endowment Fund Chair Sir Kevan Collins and Anne Heavey, National Director of Whole School SEN.

Details, from SchoolsWeek, of the new Ministerial team for DfE, following the government reshuffle:

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-new-education-ministers-williamson-gibb-badenoch-agnew-department-reshuffle-schools-skills-childrens/