The National Education Union has found that as of January 2019,
8,587 children and young people with SEND are currently classed
as ‘awaiting provision’ for a school place, and have no access to
any type of educational provision at all.
This is significantly higher than previously known.
This news follows a past controversy around the way in which the
Department for Education collected information regarding children
out of school. Last year the National Education Union highlighted
the discrepancy, finding that more than 4,000 children with an
Education Health and Care Plan (ECHP) in 2017 had no educational
provision and were therefore not in school at all. (1)
This figure had by that stage increased five-fold in just five
years. Since 2017, according to the DfE’s own statistics, that
figure has now doubled.
Acting on the NEU’s concerns, the DfE pledged to be more thorough
with their collection of pupil data. As a result we can see that
thousands more children than previously thought are currently
receiving no form of schooling at all. (2)
Reacting to the findings, Kevin Courtney, Joint
General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“We welcome the Department for Education’s efforts to make public
the true situation for far too many young people with SEND, but
it only serves to demonstrate the parlous state we are in. The
fact that over 8,500 young people with SEND are currently not
receiving any form of education is appalling and shows the
Government has not listened to teachers and parents who are
tirelessly campaigning for more funding.
“This week’s court case, in which a group of parents have taken
legal action against the Secretary of State and Chancellor of the
Exchequer, highlights the severity of the current situation in
SEND, as well as the determination of families, schools and
activists to fight for a fair education for all.
“The NEU will continue to campaign for our schools to get the
funding they need to give children the education they deserve.”
Editor’s Note
(1) An EHCP is a legal document setting
out specific additional provision for a pupil with severe and
complex SEND, which also entitles them to additional funding for
this provision. The stats for 2017 are available here -
Statements of SEN and EHC Plans: England, 2017 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2017 Table
1. Our April 2018 story was reported here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/special-educational-needs-school-funding-cuts-national-education-union-neu-a8282816.html
(2) The link below takes you to the
document showing 8,587 children with severe SEND have no
educational provision at all:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2019
- ‘National and Local Authority Tables’, then look at Table 1,
lines 54-56.
