(UK) MORE SPECIAL SCHOOLS FOR "increasing number of pupils with complex SPED needs"

Aug 27, 2019, Northampton Chronicle and Echo: Charity hits out as new figures show dramatic drop in special needs children going to mainstream schools in Northamptonshire https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/education/charity-hits-out-as-new-figures-show-dramatic-drop-in-special-needs-children-going-to-mainstream-schools-in-northamptonshire-1-9048727 The number of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools in Northamptonshire has dropped by nearly 4,000 over the last seven years, according to new figures. The disability charity, The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE), compiled a national report and says the figures show that children with special educational needs (SEN) are being "forced" out of mainstream education despite new legal protections. … The number of children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream education has fallen by a quarter (24%) in England since 2012, while the number attending special schools has risen by nearly a third (31%), analysis by this newspaper shows. In Northamptonshire, the figures show that in 2012, 8,750 SEN children were placed in mainstream primary schools. In 2019, that figure was 8,002. In secondary schools, there were 8,355 SEN children in maintstream primary schools in 2012. In 2019, that figure was 5,223. The number of SEN children in special schools was 1,150 in 2012. In 2019, this figure was 1,885. … The Government said all schools should be inclusive. Simone Aspis, policy and campaigns coordinator at ALLFIE, said: “Parental choice is a myth – parents we know do not choose special school provision, they are forced into it because mainstream schools no longer have the money and support to implement inclusive education practice.”… The Department for Education said: “All schools must be inclusive of children with disabilities and 82 per cent of all pupils identified as having special educational needs are in state-funded mainstream schools. “Additionally, we have created new special schools in response to the increasing number of pupils with complex special educational needs and are committed to delivering even more provision to ensure every child is able to access the education that they need.”