(UK) NE: "There has been an increase of students with special educational needs"

Jan 6, 2023, Northern Echo: Schools North East calls for more help for education by government https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23231507.schools-north-east-calls-help-education-government/

NE England

Schools across the North East are calling for greater support from the Prime Minister amid financial pressures and a recruitment crisis.

Schools North East (SNE) have today (December 5) issued a statement questioning Rishi Sunak's post-16 maths plan, highlighting the finanical and staffing constraints North East education currently faces.

This comes after the PM announced plans for children to have some form of maths education up to the age of 18.

They said schools are currently facing challenges such as ongoing financial pressures, a recruitment and retention crisis, persistent absences, and the lost learning resulting from the pandemic.

SNE also questioned the reasoning of the scheme, and the evidence the decision was based on.

Adding to this, they pointed to government figures showing a drop in new teacher trainees, 28,991 new entrants to Initial Teacher Training in 2022/23 compared to 36,159 in 2021/22.

In a statement, a SNE spokesperson said: "The funding announcements last year for education were welcome, and helped ease the financial pressures related to rising energy costs and unfunded staff pay awards.

"[However], schools are facing ongoing financial pressures, a recruitment and retention crisis, and persistent absences.

"Schools are continuing to support students, both as they ‘catch-up’ from lost learning, and also with their mental health and wellbeing.

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(SEND), and particularly significant challenges in early years. There is a lack of capacity in the system to meet these challenges.

"These issues must be prioritised if the Prime Minister is serious about levelling-up opportunities across the country."

Figures published by the Department for Education for County Durham show attainment levels for young children in reading, writing, maths and science have dropped sharply from 2018/19 to 2021/22....