Responding to the inspectorate's report, which states that schools
should not be solely responsible for taking on wider issues,
outside of education, Natalie Perera, Executive Director and Head
of Research at the Education Policy Institute (EPI) said:
"Schools can play an important role in children's welfare,
safeguarding and health, but with many increasingly experiencing
budget pressures, it is unreasonable to expect them to be the
primary source of support in these areas. With funding for
children's services set to fall by 20% per child in real terms
between 2009/10 and 2019/20, it is unsurprising that many
schools are having to "plug the gap" and provide the vital
support that is usually delivered by local
authorities.
To relieve the growing burden on schools, the government
should do much more to prioritise early intervention, and look at
ways to offer more support to parents".
Responding to Ofsted's findings on support for children
with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), Jo
Hutchinson, Director for Social Mobility and Vulnerable Learners
at the Education Policy Institute, said:
"Ofsted's report finds a huge variation in the quality of
support for children with special educational needs and
disabilities (SEND). In some cases, particularly poor levels of
provision are apparent, which are likely to be the result of
rushed implementation and flaws in the issuing of children's
support plans. It is also deeply concerning that 4,000 children
with SEND are receiving no support whatsoever - support which
local authorities in England have a legal obligation to provide.
These unwelcome trends suggest that reductions in local authority
budgets may be hindering the delivery of these critical
services.
Today's findings also come as EPI is conducting research into
the prevalence of children with SEND in England, and the level of
support that is needed. We expect these new trends to inform our
research, which is set to be published next year."
