Recent discussions among educators and stakeholders have brought forward alarming concerns about the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) framework in England.
David Wilson, a deputy headteacher at a primary school in inner-city Manchester, expressed his worries about the current SEND system, labeling it seriously flawed and unable to meet the needs of the growing student population.
He pointed out that this crisis impacts all students, not just those who have specific educational needs.
Urgent Concerns Raised by Educators
Wilson, who has spent eight years as a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), is echoing sentiments shared by many parents, teachers, and specialists throughout the UK.
The consensus is clear: the situation for SEND provisions has deteriorated significantly.
According to a report from the National Audit Office, the number of children eligible for government-supported Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) is expected to reach 1 million within the next decade.
The report also revealed a troubling contradiction: despite record funding levels, conditions for children with special educational needs have shown no considerable improvement.
Local authorities find themselves under severe financial pressure, grappling with rising demands for special school placements and funding for essential specialists, such as therapists and teaching assistants.
Many educators and parents doubt that mainstream schools can adequately support the increasing number of students with complex needs.
This upsurge in special educational needs has largely been linked to the pandemic, which has exacerbated social, emotional, and mental health issues among students.
Educators report that children are now demonstrating a greater range of complexities than they did in prior years, prompting a shift in the role of teaching assistants.
Once able to support small groups, these assistants now often find themselves focusing on individual students requiring more intensive attention.
Impact on Families and Educators
Wilson highlighted the direct fallout of the pandemic, noting how it has disrupted children’s social skills and placed extra burdens on teachers.
This added pressure not only jeopardizes the learning environment but increases the stress levels of educators.
Many believe that the traditional model of inclusion in mainstream schools is becoming increasingly impractical.
Even though annual SEND funding has reached about £10 billion, Wilson and his colleagues argue that this financial commitment is failing to produce the desired outcomes.
He is calling for a significant increase in specialist educational placements and urging the government to act based on the insights of teachers while fundamentally rethinking how SEND needs are addressed.
Families navigating the system report that waiting lists for EHCP assessments are growing, complicating their efforts to access necessary support.
Many parents have described the exhausting battles they face to secure EHCPs for their children.
Some have even felt forced to leave their jobs to care for children whose access to education hinges on these plans, while others experience heightened stress and anxiety from inadequate support.
In classrooms, teachers are struggling to meet the needs of children with EHCPs due to overcrowded settings and a lack of appropriately trained staff to deliver specialized care.
Some schools have resorted to hiring agency teaching assistants, which creates instability and uncertainty during the school year.
Concerns for the Future
Parents have shared their distressing situations.
Tom, a parent from Bristol whose son has autism, reflected on how his child thrived in a mainstream setting with adequate support, only to see that quality decline due to excessive demand and insufficient funding.
This decline has not only impacted his son but also his peers, leading to greater anxiety and stress in an already challenging learning environment.
Fiona, a teacher in London, voiced frustration at the inadequate support available for students in mainstream classrooms.
Often, one teaching assistant is left to manage multiple children with conditions like autism, straining classroom dynamics and leaving teachers to juggle excessive responsibilities.
Amanda, a mother from Surrey, recounted her twins’ difficult transition out of mainstream education, despite having EHCPs and being academically capable.
She emphasized the positive difference that a specialist school made for one of her children, highlighting the importance of a supportive environment for learning.
Amanda also pointed to long waiting times for diagnostic assessments in her area and suggested that local authorities often delay issuing EHCPs as a strategy to cut costs.
Educators have noted a troubling trend where the current system tends to favor parents who are more vocal in their advocacy, instead of distributing resources equitably to the most vulnerable children.
There are fears that many of these children may slip through the cracks, overlooked because their families lack the means or persistence to demand the support they require.
The ramifications of this crisis extend beyond individual classrooms.
Educators have pointed out that students in mainstream settings witness adults wrestling with significant stress, which contributes to an unstable emotional atmosphere.
There are mounting concerns that many children, unable to access the right resources, disengage from the learning process entirely.
Throughout these discussions, parents have consistently shared their feelings of frustration and betrayal regarding the barriers they encounter in obtaining support for their children.
A single mother from Leicestershire contrasted her school’s reassurances with her son’s actual difficulties, which only became apparent during lockdown.
After enduring lengthy processes to secure an EHCP, she felt disheartened by the inadequate support provided, despite her son’s eligibility.
The overarching sentiment among parents and educators emphasizes the necessity of early intervention to help children with SEND thrive in society.
They collectively call for immediate action to tackle these urgent challenges, advocating for systemic reform that enhances the educational experience for all children, regardless of their needs.
Source: The guardian