Research shows that the special needs education crisis appears to be exacerbated, with nine out of 10 school leaders finding it difficult to meet the needs of their students.
Almost all (98%) of respondents (98%) of the National Association of Principals’ Principals’ (NAHT) polls targeting England, Wales and Northern Ireland said they lacked resources to meet the needs of all students with special educational needs and disabilities (sent).
One school leader who participated in the survey described the level of transmit funding as “devil” and another school leader said that demand continues to increase, with the number of students doubled in nursery and reception over the past three years.
Four in five (82%) mainstream school leaders said they struggled to support students who need professional provisions that were agreed on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) but were not available.
NAHT General Secretary Paul Whiteman said the student needs are becoming more complicated. “Too many schools now have too many children who need to get professional support, disappointed by the lack of capacity and availability of specialist locations.
“The schools are desperately trying to do their best for those students, but their hands are tied up without the help of the experts they need. We also know that many special schools are struggling to meet their needs for the place and are very oversubscribed.”
The government plans to publish a white paper to transform its transmission system in English. This is expected to prioritize inclusion and better support in mainstream state schools with the aim of reducing spending on costly private provisions.
A Guardian analysis earlier this year revealed that many UK councils have sent out spending on independent special schools, pushing Parliament on the brink of bankruptcy, building debts in the hundreds of millions of pounds.
“We are not opposed to governments that want mainstream schools to be inclusive, and school leaders take this obligation seriously,” Whiteman said. “However, more funding, resources and specialized staffing is needed to ensure that students are supported appropriately and effectively.
“And this does not rule out the fact that there is always a need for special school locations for students with the greatest needs. The capabilities of both mainstream and vocational schools must be tailored to their needs.”
Representatives to the NAHT annual meeting held in Harrogate this weekend will vote for many moves seeking more funding, training and support for the education of sender students. “Currently, education has no prioritization over fixing the send crisis,” Whiteman said.
The poll included anonymous contributions that revealed the daily struggles that schools faced, bringing nearly 900 responses from school leaders in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, both in mainstream and technical schools.
“We’re in a deficit budget position,” said the person. “We support children with important needs and have not received the funds they need. It has a detrimental impact on the education of others in school.”
Another said: “We struggle with the level of need and what we can actually offer to our children. The morale of our staff is low, and staff are leaving the profession.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Education said the government had inherited the transmission system on its lap and had already invested an additional £1.7 billion to improve the clause.
They added: “It will take some time, but as part of planning for change, I think differently about what the transmission system should look like.