LGA responds to EPI report on SEND assessment system

Responding to a report by the Education Policy Institute which shows that support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is largely determined by the school they attend, rather than their individual circumstances, Cllr Judith Blake, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:

“All children, including those with SEND, will undoubtedly need additional support to help them catch up in the coming weeks and months due to the impact of the pandemic.

“However, councils are struggling to meet the ever-increasing demand for SEND support and are building up deficits in their high needs budgets. This is not sustainable and will ultimately impact on other services.

“The reforms in the Children and Families Act, which extended eligibility for SEND support, remain underfunded.

“The Government needs to urgently complete its positive ongoing review of the SEND system. This needs to set out reforms that increase mainstream inclusion, provide councils with long-term certainty of funding to meet immense demand for SEND support, and give councils the power to hold academies to account if their provision for identifying and supporting children with SEND is not adequate.”