Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Review: Right support, right place, right time

Have your say on the Government consultation on the system for SEND and alternative provision in England.

Thank you to everyone who helped us to develop a response to the government's consultation. In total we had 56 responses. Some of the key themes from our online survey that became part of our response included:

Co-production of proposals with parents is important.
Providing alternative options for placements.
General support for the government's proposals around inclusion and improvement.
Resourcing was highlighted as a concern in terms of funding and the workforce.

Background

Nationally

In 2014, the SEND system was significantly reformed, and Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) replaced the previous Statement of Special Educational Needs.

By September 2019, parents, carers and providers faced delays in accessing support, and local councils faced increasing financial pressures. The Government commissioned the Gov.uk: major review into support for children with Special Educational Needs at look at what the challenges were and how a new system could deliver better support for children and young people with SEND in a more consistent way.

Locally

Over the past three years we have worked with partners, children and their families to change the way we work in County Durham. A number of areas highlighted in the green paper are already being addressed through this work, including:

employing more staff to support children, and their parents and carers through their learning journey and linking them to more post-16 learning opportunities
introducing online systems that are transparent and can be accessed remotely by parents, carers and schools as well as a standardised and digitised EHCP process
ensuring fair and consistent funding for all schools
helping children better become part of their community, which reduces pressures on our special schools
improving the way children at risk of exclusion are supported, including offering targeted support through the work of Behaviour and Inclusion Partnerships of schools
improving standards to help children and young people moving between mainstream education, alternative provision and post-16 places of learning
reviewing the provision, budget, and accommodation of the Pupil Referral Unit so that fewer children need this support
a new streamlined process for providing aids, adaptation and equipment for pupils, that is aligned to their education, health and care needs
improving access to assessment, treatment and review of children and young people in need of therapies
continuing to review and set new objectives while working with partners

What is happening now

Nationally

The government has published a green paper which sets out its vision to improve the quality of support given to children across education, health and care. It proposes to:

create a single, national SEND and alternative provision system
provide excellent provision from early years to adulthood
introduce a reformed and integrated role for alternative provision, for children who can not attend mainstream school, whether for behavioural, health or other needs
reform system roles, funding and accountability