Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
(SEND) in
mainstream schools are not getting enough help to support their
learning and development, even when external services are
involved, according to a new research report by Ofsted.
Published today, the study finds that specialist support from
multi-agency services often complements the support offered by
schools. Although families and school staff value this external
support, it is not always timely or implemented appropriately.
Many of the schools and families participating in the research
had experienced long wait times and high levels of bureaucracy in
the education, health and care (EHC) plan process. In some
instances, families were commissioning or paying for additional
services themselves. This suggests that the playing field is not
level for pupils from poorer backgrounds.
Through different case studies, the research identifies important
issues that influence how in-school support, therapies and other
multi-agency services are provided for pupils with SEND. The
findings include the following.
- Gaps in teachers’ or staff’s understanding of pupils’ needs
has a negative impact on children’s experiences at school and
their learning and development. This is especially the case when
pupils did not have an EHC plan or were less well known to their
special educational needs coordinators (SENCos).
- Almost all pupils who took part in the research, including
those on SENDsupport,
had teaching assistants (TAs) allocated to them. In a small
number of cases, pupils had become over-reliant on their
TAs, which could
potentially impact on their ability to develop independence. Some
parents and carers also raised concerns around social exclusion
because of the amount of time their child spent out of class in
small-group or individual interventions.
- Occasionally, schools were teaching a curriculum that was not
properly sequenced or well matched to pupils’ needs. A few pupils
did not have the background knowledge and skills required, due to
missed learning or unmet needs. In some cases, pupils were not
always given the chance to master basics before moving forwards
with their learning.
- Some parents and carers took part in decision-making around
special education provision. However, others felt that they were
not given enough information about their child’s learning and
development, or the opportunity to input into support plans.
- Some SENCos were also
full-time class teachers. This suggests that they may not have
enough time to fully support pupils with SEND at
their school.
Sean Harford, Ofsted’s National Director for Education, said:
Many children and young people with SEND
have found it harder to engage with remote education during the
pandemic, so getting the support right for these pupils is more
important than ever.
This research shows that high-quality education for these
children is underpinned by a good understanding of their
individual needs, and strong relationships between families and
schools. Effective joint work between schools and other
services, especially including health, is also critical to
children’s learning and development.
The findings from this research will be really valuable as we
continue to build on our inspection practice and develop the
new area SENDinspection
framework.
Ofsted carried out the research in the spring term of 2019 to
2020, before the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. It draws on
interviews with pupils, parents, teachers, support staff and
leaders from a sample of schools across 2 local authorities.
Representatives from the local authorities and clinical
commissioning group were also interviewed. The findings are based
on a small number of case studies. Therefore, they are not
necessarily reflective of the wider population of pupils with
SEND.
