SEN0683

Written evidence submitted by RAF Families Federation

Introduction

The RAFFF is funded by the RAF but sits outside the Chain of Command as an independent organisation, parented by the RAF Association. We represent all RAF personnel, be they Regular, Reserve, single, married or in a partnership, together with their families. We are tasked with representing serving personnel as well as families.  We capture evidence of issues and concerns, and report to senior RAF and MOD staffs, and government ministers, proposing changes to improve quality of life for personnel and their families.

The RAFFF welcome the opportunity to respond to the Education Committee’s inquiry on Solving the SEND Crisis. We recognise that some RAF families do have positive experiences with regards to their child’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision, but we are aware that others encounter challenges and may face disadvantage due to the nature of Armed Forces life.

Whilst we are unable to respond to certain aspects of the inquiry, we would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the key issues and challenges that can arise for Armed Forces

families and potential solutions. We believe that delays in accessing SEND support, challenges transferring support on relocation and the current inconsistency of SEND and alternative provision (AP) could be the root cause of many of the challenges RAF families with a child(ren) with SEND may face. Reducing waiting times; increasing capacity to meet and respond to evolving needs; improving engagement and collaboration with the devolved nations and Defence Children Services (DCS); and improving transitions for children and young people moving around the UK or overseas locations will help address the current gaps, delays and disparity of provision that may be experienced by children and young people from an Armed Forces background with SEND, often linked to the mobile nature of their parent/carer’s career in the military.

Context

According to the Tri-service families continuous attitude survey 2024[1], 55% of Armed Forces families have at least one child of school age and 15% of Armed Forces families with school age children changed schools for Service reasons in 2024.

Our mobile population are only a subset of the whole, but those personnel who are mobile will move as frequently as every 18 months to 3 years on assignment around England and between the Devolved Administrations and overseas. This can create issues accessing or transferring SEND provision. There is variation in the SEND support systems across the UK; different pathways to support; different Local Offers in different Local Authorities (LAs), and even different provision between schools within the same LA. This can create confusion, anxiety and frustration for families who have to move so frequently.

The RAFFF work with the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Defence Children Services[2] (DCS) team. Their role is to provide expert support to Armed Forces families who have specific issues or concerns regarding their child’s education. We frequently refer families to DCS for information, guidance and advice including matters relating to SEND as navigating provision can be challenging for Service families.

In 2022, the RAFFF responded to Department for Education (DfE) and Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) call for evidence on the proposed changes to the SEND and AP system. Our response to the consultation, which included challenges impacting the RAF community and where we felt improves could be made, can be accessed here: 20220712-RAFFF-SEND-Review-Response.pdf.

In June 2024, the RAFFF consulted with members of the RAF Community Forum (RAF personnel (Regular and Reservists) and family members) on their experiences of accessing SEND support and provision which has informed the evidence and recommendations presented below for consideration by the Education Committee.

RAFFF Evidence relating to Support for Children and Young People with SEND

The RAF Community Forum highlighted to us that:

•          Support available varies depending on the area and Local Offer.

•          Additional needs systems can be difficult to navigate for mobile families – the pathway is not always clear; provision, thresholds and entitlements vary in different geographical areas; assessments are not always accepted in new locations; and it can be challenging to have a child’s needs identified and appropriate provision put in place to support the child in a timely manner, sometimes resulting in children spending time out of education while they wait for provision to be arranged.

•          Long waiting lists (which may vary in length depending on location) can delay access to additional needs support and assessments. It was highlighted that waiting list times can be longer than assignments.

•          Some families reported having to restart processes following relocation due to differences in NHS and LA systems.

•          Concerns raised regarding Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) not always reflecting and responding to children’s current needs. Families reported that EHCP reviews were not always completed on time.

•          Some families feel forced into home education due to a lack of support for children with additional support needs.

•          Concerns raised regarding additional needs not always being recognised and identified early if Service families move regularly.

•          It was highlighted that it can be so exhausting fighting the system that it affects the mental health of the parents/carers, and some people may just give up entirely, ‘The result is not just children that lose out on education, but parents that burn out and suffer mental health issues too.’

•          Navigating different school admissions processes can be challenging when Service families relocate.

•          Specialist settings are often oversubscribed and Service families relocating may experience delays in accessing appropriate school placements that can meet their child(ren)’s needs.

•          Delays in accessing school places may result in children spending time out of education while awaiting placements. This is particularly concerning for families that relocate regularly.

•          Despite giving 6 months notice of the relocation, one family highlighted that the school placement for their child was not looked at until they arrived in the new location.

•          Some families reported challenges with childcare providers being able to meet their child(ren)’s needs resulting in parents/carers changing working hours in some instances.

•          Families highlighted the negative impact on mental health and wellbeing of awaiting decision on school place allocation.

•          Differences in education systems, school starting ages and additional needs thresholds across the UK can cause challenges for mobile Service families and are not always understood. Assignment of a key point of contact could be beneficial to support with transitions.

•          Delays (of up to 6 months) in transferring reports and information from overseas were highlighted impacting on support receiving schools can put in place for children and young people and the level of support and provision in overseas locations is not always available and/or replicated on return to the UK.

Recommendations

The Education Committee has reached out and requested input to support its work finding solutions to the crisis in SEND provision. Following recent evidence provided to us by the RAF community as well as the Service Children In State Schools Voice of Schools SEND Report 2024[3] and the Garrison ASSIST Project[4] (in addition to research and reports previously cited in our response to the SEND Review in 2022), the RAFFF would like to suggest the following recommendations for consideration to improve the educational experiences of children and young people with SEND:

Recommendations for the Department for Education

• Enable greater collaboration between DfE and DHSC, Devolved Administrations and MOD to remove disadvantage for Armed Forces families who move across county and country borders on assignment, often with little choice or notice. Ensure policies and practice support positive transitions, perhaps developing a passport style document to support with the safe and timely transfer of information between organisations.
• Engage with the MOD to consider whether it may be appropriate to allow DCS to issue and maintain EHCPs in a similar way to LAs to potentially improve transitions for mobile Service families with a child(ren) with SEND who may relocate overseas to DCS schools and subsequently return to the UK.

• Develop a formal training programme to be made available to educators and those involved in additional needs systems and support to raise awareness of the needs of children and young people from an Armed Forces background and the challenges they may face because of the demands of Armed Forces life. 

• Work with Ofsted and Care Quality Commission to ensure they consider the experiences of children and young people from an Armed Forces background with SEND in their inspections to assess whether the provision they have received meets their needs, has been offered in a timely and effective manner and ensures they can thrive in education.
• Ensure policies and practice pay due regard to the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure Service personnel and families are treated fairly and not disadvantaged as a result of military life.

Recommendations for Local Authorities  

• In LAs with Armed Forces families, regularly offer staff CPD training to raise awareness of the experiences and potential specific needs of children from an Armed Forces background, including those with additional needs. Ensure staff are aware of the specific provisions of the SEND Code of Practice[5] (outlined in Section 10) that focus on children and young people from an Armed Forces background.
• Evaluate, in consultation with children, young people and parents/carers, the support offered to children and young people from an Armed Forces background to support with continuously improving provision. 

• Ensure information on pathways to assessment and support are clear and easy to navigate. Having information easily accessible online, such as the guidance on SEND support 0-25 and the Military from Wiltshire Council, can support with this. 

• Provide a named point of contact (and ensure this is easily accessible on the LA website) to coordinate and oversee the transition of children and young people from an Armed Forces background into (and between) LA areas.  

• Consider how you support children and young people from an Armed Forces background relocating from overseas, the Devolved Administrations and other LAs to ensure they can access full time education and support when they arrive in the receiving LA. For those based in England, while the LA officially accepts legal responsibility for the EHCP on the day of the move, it is important preparatory activity is undertaken prior to children’s arrival. For families with a confirmed Assignment Order, take into consideration evidence that is shared highlighting diagnoses, treatment and support a child is currently receiving to support a positive transition to the new area.

• If there is a military unit in your LA, develop connections with the base and welfare teams to facilitate two-way communication to help ensure the Armed Forces community is appropriately supported. 

• Record and monitor the amount of time children and young people from an Armed Forces background spend out of school while awaiting appropriate provision to be put in place. Commit to reduce to the absolute minimum, the amount of time children and young people from an Armed Forces background with additional needs are out of education following transition to a new local authority area. 

• For LAs with the highest numbers of children and young people from an Armed Forces background in England, actively participate in the MODLAP group to work together to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of children of UK Armed Forces families. 

Recommendations for Schools and Childcare Providers

• In settings with children and young people from an Armed Forces background on roll, regularly offer CPD training to raise awareness of the unique experiences and potential specific needs of children from an Armed Forces background, including those with additional support needs, and evaluate (in consultation with children, young people and parents/carers) the support offered to children and young people from an Armed Forces background to assist with continual improvement. 

• When a child is leaving an educational setting, engage with the parents/carers and where possible (and with consent) the new setting to discuss the transfer of information to the new setting. Ensure relevant information is transferred in a safe and timely manner to help the receiving setting ensure appropriate provision is in place to meet the child’s needs. 

• As additional needs support and provision varies in different locations, engage with parents/carers to ensure they understand how to request support and where to find information on the Local Offer. 

• If you or a parent/carer is concerned about a child’s progress, ensure these concerns are considered and investigated and assessments and interventions are not delayed because of an anticipated move. 

Conclusion

In the RAFFF response to this inquiry we have highlighted that, due to the nature of Service life, Armed Forces families may encounter additional challenges with accessing and transferring SEND provision.

We have suggested recommendations of how the DfE, LAs, schools and childcare providers can improve their policies and practice and encourage the Education Committee to consider these proposals and actively engage with the MOD and DCS to ensure the needs of children and young people from an Armed Forces background our taken into consideration and that any changes to SEND provision will meet their needs and enable them to thrive in education.

Our children deserve the best start in life and their education and development should not be adversely affected due to inconsistent SEND provision or because their parents are serving in the Armed Forces. The RAFFF would therefore welcome the opportunity for further engagement with the Education Committee to discuss the issues raised in this paper in more detail. The RAFFF representatives for this subject are:

January 2025