SEND support is ‘postcode lottery’, says EPI

The Education Policy Institute has warned that the pandemic is likely to have “exacerbated existing problems” with identifying children with SEND

A new report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), named ‘Identifying pupils with special educational needs and disabilities‘, has revealed there are “deeply concerning” inconsistencies in how children with SEND across England are identified and supported, with some pupils more likely to access support than others.

Jo Hutchinson, director of social mobility and vulnerable learners at EPI, said: “While access to SEND support was already very unequal, the pandemic is very likely to have resulted in more children falling through the cracks or facing long waits for support.

“We need to significantly improve how we identify pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, so that we can deliver consistently for families and ensure that no child is denied the support that they need.”

Commenting on the report Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: “This is an outgrowth of the government’s encouragement of competition between schools, and leads to a postcode lottery for parents. It raises further questions about the government continuing with its plan to enhance the role of multi-academy trusts in supporting SEND locally. We need to stop the competition between schools and rebuild real collaboration and co-ordination between schools if we’re to reverse some of these problems; the role of local authorities in this must be re-built. 

“It is an impact of the systemic cuts to SEND funding that local authorities in the most disadvantaged areas are found in the report to have been forced to ration support for the children with greatest need.  This report reminds us we need a properly funded SEND system if we are serious about making education flexible enough to work for students with additional needs. There is a clear urgent need for extra staffing and high-quality staff training.” 

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It is essential that every child with special educational needs gets the right support, and we are extremely concerned by this report’s findings that a child’s chances of being identified with SEND are a postcode lottery. 

“Of particular concern is the conclusion that the type of school may be a factor in identifying SEND, and that children from the most disadvantaged areas are less likely to be identified than similar children in more affluent areas. 

“It is very difficult to know what is driving these patterns and we would caution against jumping to conclusions in an extremely complex educational landscape. 

“However, what we do know is that everybody in the school system – in whatever type of school or area – is utterly committed to correctly identifying SEND and providing the support that children require. 

“Schools have not been helped by the fact that government funding for this support has not matched the level of need, and that the SEND funding system is byzantine in its complexity.

“We agree with the report’s recommendations for improving the system for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND, and we are grateful to the EPI for shining a light on this issue.”