Oct 27, 2021, FE (Future Education) News: Children with special educational needs and disabilities will be impacted more than ever this year by funding cuts, according to data https://www.fenews.co.uk/fevoices/78924-children-with-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-will-be-impacted-more-than-ever-this-year-by-funding-cuts-according-to-dat
As they returned to school last month, children with special educational needs and disabilities (#SEND) are likely to have been significantly impacted by cuts in school funding and support, according to data.
97% of school leaders expressed concern over the increasing struggle to provide the necessary support for SEND students, labelling their funding for this as ‘insufficient’ according to a recent poll by the National Association of Head Teachers.
In fact, nearly a third of headteachers said they were forced to slash their budgets in 2020 - 2021 and 35% said that they would make further cuts this coming academic year. More than four in five admitted to having to buy extra support services that were previously funded by the local council….
The current government has committed an extra £7.1bn funding for schools in England for 2022-2023 – but it will not reverse a cut in real-term spending per pupil over the past decade, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS).
A primary school teacher, who wishes to remain anonymous, said:
“Funding for SEND is used to pay teaching assistants, invest in specialist equipment and specialist services. As the funding has reduced, we have had to cut down on staffing, meaning we have had to significantly reduce the interventions we can offer those children.
“A lot of those interventions focused on social and emotional wellbeing. As these have reduced, the behaviour of some SEND children has deteriorated. In my career as a teacher, I have known 3 children get referred to Pupil Referral Units as we didn't have adequate funding to meet their needs.”
Pupil Referral Units are alternative education provisions that are specifically designed to provide education for children who are not able to attend mainstream school and may not otherwise receive suitable education.
As well as the impact of reduced funding, there is evidence to suggest that SEND children are likely to have suffered from the shift back to the traditional classroom structure post-Covid. …
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Sarah Baker, Chief Learning Officer at Virtual College, said:
“Providing teachers and school staff with the appropriate support and training when working with children with special educational needs and disabilities is paramount. This is why the course takes into account increased considerations in regards to these children’s safeguarding and care, and allows learners to understand the different types of developmental disabilities, models of disabilities, communication and terminology.
“With recent budget cuts and reduced levels of support teachers are experiencing, the need to access this information hasn’t lessened, which is why we are offering this course at a price that makes it accessible for all.”
