Children with special educational needs (SEN) are some of the most vulnerable and excluded group within our school system, yet many are prevented form getting the help and support they so desperately need.
And they fail to reach their true potential as a result.
Through my work conducting a review into children’s speech, language and communication services for the Government, I already knew that children with (SEN) were frequently being let down. Yet the degree to which this vulnerable group of children are being failed by the school system was brought into stark relief when I saw the Government’s scandalous exclusion figures. Children with SEN are nine times more likely to be excluded than any other children.
So when I was drawn out of the private members’ ballot back in December it was a compelling opportunity to try to do something about the devastating lack of support for children with SEN. Drafted by the National Autistic Society (NAS) and backed by the Special Educational Consortium, the Special Educational Needs and Disability (Support) Bill struck me as a wholly reasonable and achievable bill. Its aims were threefold: improve training for teaching staff, introduce a new requirement that inspections should consider how well schools meet the needs of pupils with SEN and disabilities such as autism, and reduce inappropriate exclusions of children with SEN.
The current situation is simply not good enough; 20% - that’s one in five – children has SEN, but just 15% gain five or more A*-C grades at GCSE compared to 63% of other children. This is wholly unacceptable and can have a profound impact on both a child’s emotional wellbeing and on his or her long term prospects for the future. People affected by SEN and disabilities often have a great deal to offer, yet we know, for example, that NAS figures show only 15% of adults with autism are in fulltime, paid employment, a fact which, in part, must be influenced by a lack of educational support at a young age.
Too few education professionals and schools have the appropriate skills, expertise and training to give children with an SEN the right support. NAS figures show that only 30% of parents of children with autism are satisfied with their school’s understanding of the condition, and The National Union of Teachers themselves say that thirds of teachers would like training in identifying children with autism.There is currently no mandatory training for teachers in SEN issues, so the Bill proposed that no one should be able to become a qualified teacher unless he or she has demonstrated a satisfactory understanding of SEN, including autism. Whilst schemes such as the Training and Development Agency (TDA) teacher training modules on SEN and the Inclusion Development Programme are very welcome, neither of these is mandatory. In order to ensure children with SEN get the education they deserve, every teacher needs to be equipped to teach children with a range of different SEN and to meet their legal obligations to adapt the curriculum and teaching methods.
Until now there has been no requirement for special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) to be qualified teachers or to have any training in SEN, despite having a key strategic role in advising teachers of how best to teach and support pupils with SEN. Thanks to campaigning by the NAS and others, the Government is now rectifying this by introducing regulations to come into effect in September this year. These regulations will first require all SENCOs to be qualified teachers, and secondly require all new SENCOs in post for a year or less to have training in SEN. This is a very welcome development, but I believe there is a strong case for training for SENCOs to be extended beyond those who are newly qualified, to all post holders.
Having an SEN or a disability does not automatically mean a child is naughty, yet being nine times more likely to be excluded than other children means being denied the education which is his or her right. With understanding and awareness, often small adjustments can be made to teaching styles or a child’s environment which can prevent challenging behaviour escalating. Schools need to be able to maintain discipline, but exclusion of pupils with SEN and disabilities should be an option of last resort. The Bill struck a balance between the two as schools would still be able to exclude a pupil with SEN, but only once they have shown they have done absolutely everything they can to ensure the right help and support has been available.
The profound difficulties that children with SEN experience at school frequently go unheard and unrecognised, because their support is not reviewed and Ofsted inspections often ignore whether schools are meeting their responsibilities towards them. This is simply unacceptable and schools and education authorities must be made accountable for the support that they provide. As a direct result of early pressure from the Bill, Ed Balls has asked Brian Lamb to advise on tightening Ofsted's inspection arrangements to place a greater focus on SEN and disability. I believe that legislation is needed to ensure inspections look at SEN provision so schools and local authorities can be held accountable for how they fulfil their responsibilities towards vulnerable children.
With the scale of need so great, it is unrealistic to expect individual schools to be solely responsible. Support services such as educational psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, or specialist and outreach support are things which should be available at a local authority level. Yet there is currently no specific requirement on local authorities to produce a plan for ensuring schools get the SEN support services they need. The Bill proposed that local authorities have to produce a strategy detailing how they intend to help schools meet the needs of their pupils with SEN. This will certainly help in the planning of services, but it will also provide transparency to families, something which is often sorely lacking for parents trying to navigate the SEN system.
Following the Bill’s second reading debate in Parliament on Friday (15th May), I was heartened to hear the Government’s genuine commitment to improving the help and support available to children with SEN. In taking on this Private Members’ Bill, I was never eager to pursue a distinct ‘Bercow Act’, merely to influence the Government’s policy in an area about which I am passionate. I am convinced the Bill has been instrumental in keeping the needs of children with SEN at the forefront of the Government’s thinking. By highlighting areas where much more still needs to be done, such as inappropriate exclusions, the Bill succeeded in prompting the Government to consult with MPs such as myself, along with the NAS and other expert organisations when forming future policy. The assurances I was given in the House have the potential to bring about a step-change in the way services for children with SEN are viewed, and I will continue campaigning until this becomes a reality.