SEND system in deep trouble, warns CotN

A new Child of the North (CotN) report warns that the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system faces ‘a worsening crisis’.

The report, entitled Addressing the SEND crisis update: Implementing what works in a worsening crisis’ highlights that schools still lack skills, resources and access to support services, face delays in receiving statutory individual education, health and care plans (EHCP), and experience severe school SEND absences.

Produced by the N8 Research Partnership, which includes Lancaster University, and Health Equity North in partnership with Baroness Anne Longfield’s Centre for Young Lives, provides an updated and shocking picture from the last 12 months. It builds on last year's report 'An evidence-based plan for addressing the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) assessment and support crisis'.

It states: “Without action the SEND crisis will deepen, the UK’s economy will suffer, the NHS will remain under great pressure and the link between a child’s background and life chances will remain.”

It also highlights:

A ‘widening gap’ since 2023/24 in severe absence (missing more than 50% of school) between children with an EHCP and children without Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Delays in providing EHCPs with only 46.6 % being issued within the recommended 20 weeks

Substantial regional variations mean children are disproportionally disadvantaged because of their postcode and are not receiving the support they need.

Families are battling through complex systems to get help, with a recent survey finding 92 % reported navigating the system detrimental to their mental health.

However, the update flags new evidence which confirms that teacher-based assessments could be used to shift SEN support from a diagnosis-led to a needs-led system.

Earlier CotN reports, authored by Lancaster University academics Dr Amy Atkinson and Professor Uta Papen, identified a SEND system crisis and offered possible solutions. The research gained government attention, but a Schools White Paper supporting SEND reform is still awaited.

The new analyses in the update confirm the results of previous research led by Dr Atkinson and extend the findings to show that these measures can help address the structural inequalities that lie at the heart of many of the UK's SEND problems.

Illustrating what can be done to create inclusive education environments and address system issues and inequalities, Professor Papen highlighted the Morecambe Bay Curriculum, a flagship project at Lancaster University, involving educators from across the region.

She said: “The Morecambe Bay Curriculum is an educator-led initiative to develop place-based curricula for learning about sustainability. Being inclusive and creating learning resources for children with SEN is a core part of the MBC, showing the role schools can play as places of belonging and connection and helping to address concerns about high rates of absences amongst children with SEN.”