Responding to a report by the Public Accounts Committee on the
crisis in the special educational needs system, Pepe Di'Iasio,
General Secretary of the Association of School and College
Leaders, said:
“It is hard to imagine a more damning report. Not only are
children being failed by the pressures on the SEND system, but
almost half of councils are in danger of going bust because of
the government's failure to get to grips with the problem despite
repeated warnings over many years. It is truly lamentable.
“This isn't a problem of the current government's making but it
has inherited this shambolic situation and now bears the
responsibility of acting with the sense of urgency that has
proved so elusive in the past. There are clear timelines in the
PAC report which must be followed.
“We would strongly urge a one-off settlement from the Treasury –
separate from the education budget – to wipe clean the current
sky-high local authority high needs deficits. The danger of not
doing this is that future expenditure will go into deficit
reduction rather than actual support to actual children.
“It is clear that this is about more than money alone. It is also
about things like better understanding the reasons for soaring
need, why there is a postcode lottery in waiting times for
education, health and care plans, and the resources and measures
required to support SEND provision in mainstream settings. We
must ensure the needs of SEND pupils are central to future
education policy.
“However, there can be no escaping the fact that money is the
single biggest issue. The simple fact is that the level of need
is greatly outstripping capacity and resources. Without
significant additional funding it is very difficult to see how
this issue can be resolved.”
