Ahead of the Schools White Paper from the Department for Education, the Centre for Young lives has published a new framework for SEND reform.
[.download]Download the framework[.download]
The framework argues that the SEND system is characterised by repeated system failure that prevents children with SEND from being able to do well. At its heart, the SEND ‘crisis’ is best understood as a culmination of three long-term, underlying trends:
- Too many children do not have the right foundations for learning at an early age;
- Too few children with additional needs get early help, when and where they need it;
- Too many schools are incentivised to prioritise the needs of some children over others.
The Centre for Young Lives supports the Government’s direction of travel towards earlier intervention, stronger mainstream inclusion and support, and, as a consequence, a reduced reliance on statutory plans for large numbers of children as the only support available. However, this transition will only succeed if it is part of a shift to a model of whole-system support from birth that commands the confidence of families, schools and local authorities.
The government’s ambitions in the White Paper will only succeed if the following fundamental and interdependent principles are met:
- All children have the right foundations to learn: SEND reform cannot be achieved solely within schools. Early childhood development, family stability, mental health support and poverty reduction all directly affect the development and severity of additional needs. A cross-government prevention strategy, focused on the early years and home environment, is critical for long-term success.
- All children with additional needs get help when and where they need it: The White Paper must ensure that children receive rapid support easily within mainstream education, rather than only after statutory thresholds have been crossed. This requires:
- A national mainstream inclusion standard that all schools must meet, which is visible, reliable, and consistently offered;
- A SEND pupil premium as the financial foundation of reform, creating predictable and flexible funding settlements to support universal support;
- Protected entitlements, with EHCPs at the top of a graduated response rather than the entry point to support.
- Schools fit around the needs of all children: Inclusion will not be achieved through funding alone. Current accountability arrangements discourage schools from admitting and retaining pupils with additional needs. Reforms must ensure schools are not penalised for inclusive practice. Inspection, performance measures, and attendance expectations must recognise the needs of children requiring additional support.
None of these conditions can be taken in isolation. Schools will not be able to reduce exclusions, absence and suspensions without sufficient early support in classrooms. But early support will also not be effective without schools being inclusive by default, and being supported by the system to be inclusive. Needs will continue to rise if we fail to give all children the right foundations in life through strong early years support, better home environments, and opportunities to play, learn, and thrive.
Meet the Authors
Meet the Author
