Commenting on the launch of a review into support for children
with special educational needs and disabilities
(SEND), Kevin Courtney, Joint
General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“SEND pupils need the right levels of education funding now. The
last thing they need is another long-drawn-out review, when their
chance at education is now.
“93% of local authorities have lost out on SEND funding since
2015 because of central government’s cuts to special needs
provision. Campaigning by the School Cuts coalition and a range
of parent groups won £250million in high needs funding for
2018-20, and this week the Chancellor announced that SEND funding
will rise by £700m. This still leaves schools £1billion short of
what is needed.
“Every school wants to provide the strategies and support which
work for each individual SEND pupil, but the real-terms funding
crisis has had a devastating impact. In a recent survey of
members in primary and secondary schools, 81% told us that their
school did not have sufficient staff to provide that service. 73%
confirmed that since 2017 there had been a drop in the number of
teaching assistants, as a direct consequence of funding
pressures.
“We don’t need another review to tell us that children with SEND
need quicker assessments, timely access to CAMHS, and flexibility
in how they access the curriculum. More widely, we need to see an
end to the testing culture in schools, which impacts negatively
on young people with SEND. The Government must also invest in the
professional skills of staff so that all families and schools
benefit from best practice ideas about SEN teaching.
“The NEU will continue to campaign for schools to get the funding
they require to give children the education they deserve.”
