National Audit Office report says Special Educational Needs system in England is in urgent need of reform

2 mins read

Thursday 24 October 2024

Tags: disability, special educational needs, schools, SEN


The National Audit Office has today published a report into the Special Educational Needs (SEN) system in England. The report says the system is not delivering better outcomes for children, is financially unsustainable and should be reformed.

It comes after a number of other reports highlighting the crisis in the SEN system.

Anna Bird, Chief Executive of Contact, said: “The National Audit Office report’s findings will come as no surprise to families with disabled children who are living this reality every day, with their children being failed and prevented from reaching their full potential. It is what we hear from many of you each week on our helpline. This failure has come at a cost because delays in support lead to very expensive crisis interventions.

“We welcome the NAO’s suggestion of cross department working, which was always the intention of the Children and Families Act 2014. And we agree that investment in mainstream schools will help make them more inclusive and reduce costly interventions. We would caution that if reform does take place, it must be done in consultation with parents and it is imperative children don’t lose important legal rights.”

The new government has promised to reform the SEND system but has said it will take time. They say it is skewed towards specialist and over reliance on EHCPs. They want to invest in mainstream to increase inclusivity in different ways including encouraging them to set up SEN units.  

Contact has developed 3 asks to improve the SEN system, which we are promoting with MPs and government ministers.

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