SEND

The latest news, analysis, research and advice relating to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) sector

Tuesday

29th Apr 2025

ASN ‘crisis’ leaving school staff ‘overwhelmed’, warns SSTA
‘More and more’ pupils with additional support needs are being placed in mainstream classes despite cuts to specialist staff, says president of Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association
Boat in a storm

Monday

28th Apr 2025

9 in 10 secondary teachers make their own curriculum resources
Just 13 per cent of secondary teachers use Oak National Academy resources in their lesson planning, DfE survey finds
9 in 10 secondary teachers make their own curriculum resources

Friday

25th Apr 2025

What we’ve learned from our inquiry into the SEND crisis
MPs have heard that more teacher training and better partnership working are essential for improving our SEND support system, says the chair of the Commons Education Select Committee
SEND support: Helen Hayes writes about evidence given to the MPs' inquiry into SEND support

Thursday

17th Apr 2025

Most teachers have seen a drop in SEND support
Four in 10 teachers say the number of specialist support staff working with pupils with SEND in their school has fallen, NASUWT polling shows
Most teachers have seen a drop in SEND support, NASUWT research shows

Wednesday

16th Apr 2025

6 ways to improve interventions for specific learning difficulties
There is plenty of research around SLD – such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia – but teachers and schools need to be involved in the development of new approaches, says Gillian Stirton
Tower of books with number 6

Thursday

10th Apr 2025

Special-school heads welcome halt to redesignation plan
Plan to create new classifications for special schools sparked a legal challenge by parents that was backed by headteachers
Students with hands up

Wednesday

9th Apr 2025

Sixfold increase in Scottish pupils needing mental health support
Sharp rises in the number of autistic pupils and those with communication difficulties over the past 10 years revealed by new analysis
Two children staring out a window
SEND deficits will keep rising without reform, council boss warns
Councils’ high-needs debts are the result of an underfunded national SEND system, says new president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services
Rachael Wardell, the incoming president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services.
Dyslexia debate: definitions, interventions and ‘woke’ worries
Researchers have come up with a new definition of the learning difficulty, with implications for schools and policymakers. Tes reports from the launch event
Dyslexia debate: definitions, interventions and ‘woke’ worries

Thursday

27th Mar 2025

SEND: 10,000 new places in mainstream and special schools
DfE warns that special schools are 8,000 students over capacity and highlights that fewer than one in 10 mainstream schools have specialist provision
SEND: 10,000 new places in mainstream and special schools

Tuesday

25th Mar 2025

‘Interrupted learning’ pupil support more than doubles post-Covid
Today’s figures also show that classroom teachers in Scottish schools now support over five times more pupils with ASN than in 2019
Holding hand to support

Friday

21st Mar 2025

Ofsted inspection toolkits ‘lack coherence’ on SEND
There is a risk of SEND becoming a ‘low-risk failure’ under Ofsted plans, leader warns
Toolkit for SEND