Tes: Trusts in Education – SEND in focus
On Wednesday 12th November 2024, Tes hosted our inaugural Tes: Trusts in Education event with a specific focus on SEND. The response was incredible with over 100 senior leaders within the MAT SEND space gathered to discuss the current key issues – showing what a huge issue SEND is in the sector at the moment.
Jon Severs, Editor of Tes Magazine, kickstarted the event by thanking the audience, “I think you're doing an amazing job, often a lonely job and what we really want to do is create a day for you today that supports you but also challenges you.”
Jon chaired the first panel which discussed government policy in detail asking, How might the new government approach inclusion and the relationship between AP, SEND and Mainstream education?
Panel members:
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Leora Cruddas, founding CEO of the Confederation of School Trusts
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Tom Rees, CEO of Ormiston Academies Trust
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Dr Nic Crossley, CEO of Liberty Academy Trust
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Margaret Mulholland, SEND specialist at ASCL
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Tom Campbell, CEO at E-Act
The panel discussed the idea that although the government has acknowledged that the SEND system is broken, its options for fixing it are limited by its commitment to controlling spending.
The key themes discussed were:
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The need to increase the confidence of the workforce. SEND has got to be a stronger feature of initial teacher education with a placement in an SEN school a mandated and meaningful element.
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We need to improve the options for post 16 - only 27% of autistic individuals are in employment because with each level of progression, the SEND diversity pool is being further watered down and we need diversity for a successful society.
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Clarify and exploit the interdependence between SEND and inclusion for both policy and for school development.
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That we must build SEND into the wider school systems and align to whole school improvement planning year in, year out.
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We need strategic SEND and inclusion CPD and we need it to be part of the cycle of improvement.
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We need to switch from problem analysis into solutions
“The big question for us is in this limited window that we've got of opportunity with a new government that said they're committed to really doing something about it, is putting forward the ideas of how we can make it a better system.” Tom Rees, CEO of Ormiston Academies Trust
SEND policy reforms
The panel then moved on to discuss SEND policy reforms and whether any updates need to build on those reforms or if we need to reset.
The key themes discussed were:
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The positive reception of the move of SEND from the children and families’ brief to the schools' brief.
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The need to capitalise on the information and the intelligence that's in the system already.
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Ways of making sure that there is fair representation of everybody who is working with children with additional needs.
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The conflicting points of view between the National Audit Office report in 2019 and the report just released.
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That we look to the SEND system too quickly rather than thinking about ‘inclusion by design' and that we should tilt all the other policies and the systems within a school towards this challenge of inclusion.
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The SEND system currently sets up a curriculum where a lot of children are designed to fail.
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In Bridget Phillipson we have a Secretary of State that understands the extent of the problem with with SEND and is really up for a real conversation about this being a historical moment where we where we do things differently.
The benefits of a close working relationship with special schools
To end the session, each of the panellists were asked to identify something positive that doesn't need a change in the system. Their answers almost all included the benefits of working more closely with special schools, particularly where trusts have incorporated special schools within their group.
The panel gave examples of having longer placements in initial teacher training in special schools and how leadership CPD can benefit from including best practice advice from special schools.