SCN0350             

 

Written evidence from Sally Lindsay German

 

Response to Education Committee Enquiry into the 2014 SEND Reforms

 

 

  1. The change to a process centred around the child or young person and geared towards long term positive outcomes is to be welcomed. For too long SEND children and young people have been tolerated rather than actively included. A well-researched and constructively written EHCP gives the child or young person an active say in their future and the support they currently need which will enable them to fulfil their potential, achieve the maximum independence and make a valid contribution to their community.

 

  1. The extension of the age range to 25 is a positive reflection of the extra time it may take for a child or young person with SEND to establish themselves in society and or pursue further education and training.

 

  1. However, these steps to broaden the opportunities for children and young people with SEND have not been adequately supported by Central Government.

 

  1. On a practical level the funding allocated to Local Authorities has received no increase in recent years – failing to take into account the increased ambitions of SEND pupils/students and their families enabled by the change in process and extension of age range. My child, currently in mainstream school has complex needs and receives the highest level of EHCP funding available from the Local Authority, however this still has to be topped up by the school to provide the appropriate support. In addition, the EHCP funding is going to be arbitrarily reduced by 5% without any corresponding reduction in need.

 

  1. As the chair of governors for an outstanding nursery school I have first-hand experience of the failure of funding to meet the costs of giving children with SEND and their families the best possible start to their education. It is only the dedication or the Head Teacher and the staff which enables the school to continue to provide high quality education for these very vulnerable children.

 

  1. The administration of the process has not received appropriate support and guidance resulting in delays and EHCP plans which are not fit for purpose. This failure to provide appropriate models and guidance has also given Local Authorities the excuse to not aim towards the high aspirations central to the Children and Families Act 2014 and allowed them to dilute and debase the intended positive developments.

 

  1. As a parent and school governor active within my community I am aware that many schools fail to take an inclusive attitude towards SEND. The additional costs and the adverse impact SEND children can have SAT results mean that schools actively discourage parents from applying for their child.

 

  1. Knowledgeable parents now seek out the schools with the best ethos and practice for SEND resulting in those children with parents less well informed

 

taking places in schools which refuse to fulfil their duties to SEND pupils and their families; as a result, these children and those who care for them do not receive the appropriate help and support – often resulting in exclusion or the unnecessary transfer to a special school or private setting.

 

 

October 2018