A new report published by the Education Policy
Institute, funded by the Nuffield
Foundation, provides evidence of the inequalities and
the blind spots that exist in SEND support across schools in
England. The findings highlight the structural challenges within
the system where factors such as the fragmentation of the school
system, prolonged school absences, language barriers and living
in disadvantaged areas make it difficult for pupils' needs to be
assessed consistently.
The research matched data of pupils in primary and secondary
school to analyse variations in SEND identification to uncover
which groups of children were most likely to need SEND support or
an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), and the overlap
between SEND provision and Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Services (CAMHS).
Looking at trends in SEND identification, the report finds that:
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Inconsistencies amongst primary and secondary schools
in approaches to identifying SEND is a major driver in a
child's chances of receiving support. This variation
between schools accounts for two-thirds of the differences
between those identified with SEND and those not
identified.
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Pupils attending academy schools or living in the most
academised areas were less likely to be identified as having
SEND compared with other similar pupils. This may
be due to under-identification, fewer SEND pupils enrolling in
academies, academies meeting needs without formal
identification, or delays in EHCP assessments due to reduced
local authority capacity.
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Local authorities had a limited impact on SEND
identification, accounting for just 4% of the
variation in the use of primary EHCPs, and 2% in secondary
EHCPs, which entitle children to specific individual
support.
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Pupils whose needs were hidden, because of absence from
school or frequent school moves, were less likely to be
recognised as having SEND in primary school. For
example, children in the top quarter of pupils with the most
sickness absence had chances of receiving an EHCP in primary
school that were one tenth of those with the least sickness
absence. Children who faced language barriers because English
is not their first language also had a lesser chance of being
identified with SEND compared with otherwise similar
children.
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Children suspended during primary school were
significantly more likely to be identified as having Social
Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs in secondary
school. Students suspended for just one day had four
times the chances of being identified with SEMH than
those who had never been suspended. For those suspended for 11
or more days, the risk was 14 times higher.
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Girls were less likely than boys to be identified with
SEMH needs in secondary school, despite similar
chances of having a behavioural or emotional disorder. Over
half of children who accessed CAMHS were never identified with
SEND, highlighting significant gaps in recognition.
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Children with the lowest Personal, Social, and
Emotional Development (PSED) scores at age five were 100 times
more likely to receive an EHCP during primary school,
highlighting PSED as a critical early indicator for SEND and
suggesting that national PSED assessments should be introduced
in early Key Stage 2 and early secondary school.
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Patterns of SEND identification suggest that support is
rationed. Children living in deprived
neighbourhoods had substantially higher chances of being
identified with SEND. However, even within those deprived
areas, the least-disadvantaged children were more likely
to be identified as having SEND.
To address these inconsistencies in identification and access to
support, EPI recommends that the government should prioritise
training in child development and different types of SEND, making
it a mandatory part of initial teacher training and early career
development.
Specifically:
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There should be further research into differences in
school identification and recording practices to
understand the role played by recording practices in the
differences between schools, and the implications of this for
the provision children receive. Additional research also needs
be undertaken into the causes and consequences of the lower
rates of SEND identification for children attending
academies.
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The government should offer targeted investment to
ensure that local allocations of the high needs budget are
sufficient to meet needs, and to staff the education,
health and care needs assessment (EHCNA) function, with
particular attention given to highly academised local
authorities.
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The government should remain focused on developing an
effective cross-government strategy to reduce child
poverty, as SEND identification is closely linked to
deprivation at individual, school, and neighborhood levels.
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Schools, local authorities and CAMHS services should
establish better information-sharing systems to ensure
they share the evidence gathered in SEND assessments when a
child moves schools or is seen by CAMHS.
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The National Curriculum Review should consider
introducing national PSED assessments in early Key Stage 2 and
early secondary school, as age five PSED assessments
are key predictors of which children later receive an EHCP, but
there is currently no universal national assessment of PSED
after age five.
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The government should ensure that children suspended
during Key Stage 2 have their needs assessed to determine the
support they need when transitioning to secondary
school. For those not identified with SEND,
consideration should be given to whether they have unidentified
SEND, and for those already identified with another SEND,
whether they also have SEMH.
Quotes
Jo Hutchinson, Director for SEND and Additional Needs at
the Education Policy Institute said:
“Our research has confirmed the existence of the long-suspected
lottery for SEND in primary and secondary schools in England and
pinpointed several groups of children who are at elevated risk of
missing out on support. Children whose needs were less visible in
school due to frequent absences or school moves, those living in
heavily-academised areas, the least-advantaged living in areas of
high deprivation, and girls with emotional disorders, all faced
risks of under-recognition. It is time for a renewed focus on the
preparation of school staff to understand and support children's
social and emotional needs as well as their academic
development.”
Ruth Maisey, Education Programme Head at the Nuffield
Foundation said:
“Last month the Public Accounts Committee highlighted the
unaffordability of the SEN system and the strain this has placed
on local authority finances. This research shows how this plays
out on the ground, with evidence of inequalities and support for
children being rationed. It is clear that the system requires
reform shaped by a long-term vision from government, and that
this need is becoming increasingly urgent.”
Background and Methodology
This research aims to assess how fairly and effectively Special
Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have been identified in
England over recent years, and to begin to map out how joined-up
the support from schools and from Child and Adolescent Mental
Health Services (CAMHS) is for children with relevant needs. The
longitudinal research, which tracks hundreds of thousands of
pupils through primary and secondary school, reveals that the
huge variation in SEND support for children can be explained by
differences between schools in identifying children.
This report sets out the full range of results from the
first phase of the project (identification in primary schools)
and the second phase of the project (identification in secondary
schools and overlap between SEND identification and involvement
with CAMHS). We modelled both SEN Support and EHCP
identification, in primary and secondary school. Further models
described SEMH identification; the addition of SEMH needs to
other SEND; and moving from mainstream to special school; in
secondary school. Additionally, we modelled child and adolescent
mental health service (CAMHS) use of children identified with
SEND in the four LAs served by the South London and Maudsley NHS
Foundation Trust.
