Major changes to 'breaking point' SEND system demanded by MPs

Teachers should be better trained in special educational needs and national standards should be introduced to fix a system at “breaking point”, MPs have warned.

The Commons’ educationcommittee called for a major “cultural shift” to make special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision embedded within mainstream schools- not an addition to them.

It said national standards should be established to ensure all SEND support meets “a consistent baseline to help education settings become more inclusive”.

In a scathing verdict, the committee said current support is “unacceptable” and that the rising level of demand for education health and care plans (EHCPs) - a legal guarantee of tailored support - is “unsustainable”. “Change is not optional—it is urgent and essential,” its report concluded.

READ MORE: Bridget Phillipson wants all teachers in mainstream schools to be SEND trained

MPs called for the Department for Education (DfE) to publish statutory requirements setting out minimum resources, expertise and equipment that all schools must be able to provide in relation to SEND. These should not be dependent on formal diagnoses of children, they said.

The current SEND funding of up to £6,000 per pupil in mainstream schools was also branded “insufficient” and “outdated”, with MPs calling for the threshold to be increased every year in line with inflation.

The committee also said the DfE should “explore the viability of mandating every teacher to complete a placement in a specialist setting" during Initial Teacher Training or the Early Career Framework. It also said professional development on SEND should be mandatory for all teachers working in mainstream schools and for all new headteachers to be required to have a SEND-specific qualification within four years.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is drawing up plans to overhaul the crisis-hit SEND system in a white paper this autumn. Concerns have been raised that the Government might try to scrap ECHPs in its upcoming SEND reforms.

The education committee warned they should not be removed from the system, rather it said evidence shows that improving inclusivity in mainstream schools decreases the demand for them. In July, Ms Phillipson told The Mirror she wants all teachers in mainstream education to have special educational needs and disabilities training.

Helen Hayes, Labour MP and chair of the education committee, said: “Making sure every child in the country with SEND can attend a local school that meets their needs will require a root and branch transformation.

“SEND must become the business of every front line professional in educational settings, with in-depth training at the start and throughout the careers of teachers, senior leaders and teaching assistants.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary for school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “We agree that as part of that intrinsic whole-school approach, all staff should be trained in SEND support, with a fully qualified Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) and professional development in SEND for all teachers.

“School leaders agree with the ambition of inclusion, and with a more holistic approach to SEND support, but there must be a recognition that funding for SEND is currently insufficient and a re-thought system will need to be fully resourced in order to work.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We welcome the committee’s recommendation of national standards and stronger accountability systems to hold schools to account for delivering inclusive practice.

“This is what school and college leaders already strive to achieve, but they are hampered by shortages of funding, resources, and specialist staff.”

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