Whilst the capital investment in SEND related provision is welcome and much needed, it will only serve to alleviate the pressure face by the Specialist sector, rather than address why that pressure exists in the first place. 1/8 https://www.tes.com/news/send-ps280m-school-special-needs-places-and-improvements

To reduce the increasing demand on Special school places, that has seen the headcount in state funded special schools increase from 105,000 to 128,000 in the past five years you need to look elsewhere. 2/8

If it was down to me, these are some of the areas I’d be focussing on.

Ensure consistency of quality and quantity of SEND content in ITE so that all trainee teachers enter the classroom with a comparable level of preparedness with regards to SEND. 3/8

Build an understanding of why SEND CPD is rarely prioritised by schools, and address this so that teachers continue to invest in their knowledge and understanding regarding SEND and schools build their SEND related institutional knowledge. 4/8

Review existing accountability measures to ensure that schools serve the entirety of their communities and are held accountable for children with SEND as robustly as they are for those who are in receipt of the Pupil Premium. 5/8

Create better local and national structures for the sharing of expertise between sectors so that schools who need to further develop their knowledge and expertise regarding SEND can be effectively supported to do so. 6/8

Create greater flexibility within the system so that the Mainstream / Specialist offer is less binary and children can have their requirements met in a more responsive and flexible manner. 7/8

Listen to families, and build cultures of SEND related professional honesty at an individual and institutional level acknowledging the things that are known least about, so that support is proactive, built in partnership and based on the requirements of the child. 8/8