Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) funding should be revamped so that schools can meet local needs, the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) has said.
The body, which represents over 1,000 school trusts, is calling for a “reset” as it sets out its 10 priorities for a new SEND system.
The CST wants mainstream schools to be “given the resource, guidance and flexibility” to meet the range of needs in their communities, CST wrote in a new framework due to be shared with members later today.
CST believes this would allow “less reliance on the statutory system for children to receive the support they need”.
The framework comes as the Commons Education Select Committee is due to question experts tomorrow on how funding to help children with SEND can be planned and spent more effectively.
‘Fundamental flaws’ to SEND system
In its introduction, the CST warns that there are “fundamental flaws” to the SEND system.
One key criticism is that SEND itself is a “blanket term that hides complexity and leads to seeing children as a series of labels rather than individuals”, the CST said.
It calls for a renewed vision of the SEND system that is “rooted in dignity and expertise” and moves away from the “current medicalised, deficit approach”.
Another priority for CST is that the government commission “much stronger processes to project the demand for specialist placements”.
The Department for Education should also invest in a “programme of national/regional planning and building to ensure sufficient suitable placements are created”.
A recent survey of local authorities found that most councils responsible for SEND provision will not be able to balance their books when a statutory override on their deficits ends next year.
The CST also recommends investment in research and evidence-based guidance to set standards for mainstream inclusion, which could be similar to the NHS guidance.
It calls for specialist expertise from across the school system to be mobilised to “ensure learning and knowledge building between specialist and mainstream settings”.
In December, Tes revealed concerns that special schools’ expertise would be overlooked in the government’s efforts to make education more inclusive.
The DfE recently appointed an expert advisory group on inclusion led by Tom Rees, CEO of Ormiston Academies Trust. The group will meet monthly to look at how to improve mainstream education outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND.
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