England: 58% increase in SPED funding, system still 'failing'; 140% increase in plans

Oct 24, 2024, Halifax Courier: National Audit Office SEND report: Special education system 'failing' - could next week’s Budget fix it?

N. England

The current SEN system is costing billions, but not improving outcomes for children 💸

A new report says the current SEN system is financially unsustainable and not meeting families’ expectations.

This is despite funding increasing to more than £10 billion [$13B] a year.

The number of children with special educational needs (SEN) who need extra help at school has been steadily rising.

Councils hope more support for the struggling system will arrive with the government’s Budget next week.

The government’s official auditor says that the current system for supporting children with special educational needs in our schools is financially “unsustainable” - but much-needed change may soon be at hand.

In a new report by the National Audit Office released on Wednesday (24 October), the spending watchdog found that the current system in place to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England’s schools was “not achieving value for money”. Nor was it leading to better outcomes for children, despite spending increasing 58% over the past decade to £10.7 billion [$13.9B] a year.

The office says there has been soaring demand for support for children with SEN, with the system supporting some 1.9m children across England. Between 2015 and 2024, there was a 140% increase in children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan alone - the lion’s share of the rise related to autistic spectrum disorders; speech, language and communication needs; and social, emotional and mental health needs.

But confidence in the system was falling, the report continued, and it was generally not meeting children’s or families’ expectations. . . .

How do we fix the SEND system?

The Department for Education (DfE) has been implementing a 2023 plan to improve the system created by the previous government. It has introduced a range of initiatives, but the NAO said there was “no evidence these will fully address challenges facing the system” - and none of the 60 stakeholders they consulted believed the plan would fix the problems they saw. . . .

The NAO also recommended “as a matter of urgency” that the government share its plans for how deficits will be treated and how the financial impact on services will be managed when the statutory override ended, to prevent make sure current high-needs support doesn’t crumble.

NAO head Gareth Davies said in a statement: “Although DfE has increased high-needs funding, the SEN system is still not delivering for children and their families, and DfE’s current actions are unlikely to resolve the challenges.

“The government has not yet identified a solution to manage local authority deficits arising from SEN costs, which ongoing savings programmes will not address,” he continued. “Given that the current system costs over £10 billion a year, and that demand for SEN provision is forecast to increase further, government needs to think urgently about how its current investment can be better spent, including through more inclusive education, and developing a cohesive whole system approach.”

The chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, Arooj Shah, said that the report was “yet another indictment of a failing SEND system that is not meeting the care and support needs of children with special needs”.

But with the government due to present its budget next Wednesday (30 October), which will outline its plans for the economy, taxes, and spending going forwards, there was an opportunity for change - with the right funding. “In next week’s Budget we are hoping that the government will set out how it will reform and adequately fund the SEND system, so children get the support they desperately need,” Councillor Shah continued.

“In particular we are hoping this will include writing off all high needs deficits to ensure councils are not faced with having to cut other services to balance budgets through no fault of their own, or their residents,” she said. “With councils currently able to keep these off their balance sheets, we have serious concerns that many will face a financial cliff-edge, when this flexibility ends in March 2026.” . . .