School leaders welcome the government’s commitment to a more inclusive education system – fostering a sense of belonging for children and young people is something schools strive for every day.

The challenging SEND landscape we now face has been of growing concern for many years and it was certainly not created by the current government. However, the legacy of over a decade of erosion and neglect of the SEND system is clear for all to see. The underinvestment in schools, the failure to build and maintain sufficient wider SEND support services, and the chronic underfunding of high needs has created a 'perfect storm' that schools, local authorities and families can no longer overcome without bold action.

Given the current situation facing schools, families and children, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for SEND’s report: Reforming the SEND System in England, is particularly timely.

Following a series of oral evidence sessions from a range of stakeholders, including practitioners from schools and early years, local authority SEND leads, specialist health support staff, ICB representatives, system leaders and inspectorates, the APPG report was unequivocal in its call for urgent action:

"The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system in England is in urgent need of reform. Despite increases in funding, the system remains fragmented and under-resourced, with significant weaknesses in coordination, staffing, accountability and early intervention. Research by the Local Government Association (LGA) highlights the root causes of dysfunction and outlines the pressing need for a more integrated and functional model. This report explores the reasons for the current system’s failure, the implications for local authorities and the features of a successful SEND system."

In the report, the following recommendations and calls to action are made:

• A system overhaul
  A complete redesign of the SEND framework.
  Emphasis on joined-up working, clear roles, and a shared vision across services.
  Legislation to enforce collaboration and joint accountability.
• Significant funding reform
  Funding to be based on accurate assessments of need.
  Local areas empowered to innovate.
  Longer-term financial settlements to enable strategic planning.
  Mainstream school budgets must be sufficient to support low-complexity, high-frequency SEN without relying on high needs top-up funding.
• Workforce investment
  Address the wider support workforce crisis through recruitment and retention strategies.
  Ensure professionals are available and well trained to deliver SEND support.
• Early intervention focus
  Shift the system to prioritise early identification and support.
  Invest significantly in early years settings and related health and social care services.
  Prioritise preventative work and incentivise it through funding and policy.
• Accountability and oversight
  Introduce a new accountability structure with clearly defined responsibilities across all sectors.
  Ensure independent oversight is in place – essential to ensure fairness and effectiveness.
  National policies to better align with local strategies to avoid contradictory pressures.
• Escalation and resolution
  Families provided with clear, accessible routes to raise concerns.
  Escalation processes which are transparent and consistent.
  Strengthen / establish independent bodies to handle complaints and appeals.
  Use tribunal outcomes to inform service improvements and policy reform.
• Rebuilding trust
  Commit to transparency in decision-making.
  Establish greater consistency across regions to reassure families of equal access.
  Commit to genuine engagement with families and value their input.
  Establishing a more responsive, adaptive system will earn public confidence.

The report concludes that the current SEND system is fragmented and failing many children and families. Meaningful reform hinges on focused investment in early intervention, skilled professionals, clear accountability, and aligned funding and policy.
 

NAHT’s calls for action

To turn the government commitment into reality, NAHT is calling for the following:

• Secure multi-tier, protected funding
  Urgently agree a dedicated, protected, inflation-linked funding stream for SEND that extends beyond a single financial year.
  Ensure core mainstream school budgets are bolstered, sustained and reflect rising costs to cover the vast majority of low-complexity, high-frequency SEN needs without the need for high needs top-up funding.
  Develop a long-term high needs funding strategy that guarantees budget sufficiency and stability for at least three years.
• Eradicate local authority deficits
  Cancel existing high needs deficits to prevent the current debt from diluting the impact of resources intended for children and young people with SEND.
  Mandate consistent national criteria for allocating high needs funding, so every local area can meet the true cost of SEND provision, and families are not disadvantaged by where their child is educated.
• Invest in specialist and early-intervention services
  Commit to long-term investment in specialist external support (health, social care and comprehensive multi-agency early years provision) to expand capacity and speed up access to targeted support.
  Reorientate policy incentives toward early intervention across all phases, reducing the need for more costly, later-stage interventions.
• Reform the EHCP and place-planning framework
  Ensure easy, swift access to SEN support for the majority of children and young people, where required, retaining statutory plans for those with more complex needs, to ensure support is accessible for all.
  Ensure mainstream schools no longer shoulder gaps in health and social care provision and support.
  Launch a review of place-planning, special school sufficiency and admissions to guarantee every pupil can attend the setting which best meets their needs.
• Strengthen accountability and oversight
  Introduce a clearer accountability structure with defined roles and a more robust mechanism for joined-up working across education, health and social care.
  Align national SEND policy with local SEND strategies to remove conflicting pressures and rebuild trust in the SEND system.
  Aim to minimise instances where collaboration and mediation does not provide a solution that provides appropriate SEND support for children and young people.
  If the above approach still does not find an agreed approach, embed simpler, and more transparent escalation and resolution routes for families. In addition, empower independent review bodies to deliver thematic findings that help drive ongoing system improvements – the aim being to avoid similar repeated failures to find an agree approach in future.
• Empower school leaders and families
  Equip school and wider system leaders, as well as parents, families and children and young people to influence local and national decision-making for the benefit of all.
  Encourage all system players to advocate for sufficiency, transparency and genuine partnership with families.

By implementing these next steps - anchored in a long-term funding strategy, targeted investment – particularly in early intervention systems – structural reform and strengthened sector accountability the government can translate its inclusive vision into a SEND system that truly serves every child and young person and brings greater  confidence to families and schools.