The government’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan is something the education sector has been eagerly waiting for since the consultation closed last year.
The newly published document certainly doesn’t disappoint in terms of its overall ambition - and, more importantly, the recognition that the current system needs a radical overhaul is welcome.
After all, it’s what we’ve all been saying for some time.
That said, while plans for digital education, health and care plans (EHCPs), new specialist schools and new national standards are welcome, it is a real shame that there is nothing for “tomorrow” in this plan that will benefit pupils who are in the system right now.
It seems like a missed opportunity not to find something that could be improved quickly - whether through more resources or funding or some other change that would show we can start to make a difference straight away for pupils in classrooms right now.
New SEND NPQ could have consequences
Perhaps the most notable proposal for schools and teachers is the plan for a new SEND National Professional Qualification (NPQ) that could help to provide more educators with a distinct qualification in this space and, in doing so, bring more expertise in this area to schools nationwide.
While on paper that sounds like a positive, there is a definite concern that it could inadvertently remove a lot of skill from the sector by replacing the existing National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCo) qualification.
The NASENCo award - which, let me clarify, is nothing to do with Nasen, and Nasen derives no income from it - is something that all current Sendcos must complete within three years of taking on a SEN-based role.
As a Master’s level qualification that requires independent research, it is no small undertaking and certainly it can be hard for teachers in small schools to take on alongside many other responsibilities.
For educators who do complete it, though, it means they become highly skilled practitioners in this arena, gaining deep knowledge, insight and expertise that the whole sector benefits from.
However, with the government stating that it intends to “replace the NASENCo with a mandatory leadership-level NPQ” for Sendcos, this knowledge could diminish.
Of course, there will be nothing to stop providers of the NASENCo award from retaining it - but given the time, cost and effort involved and the fact the new NPQ will be pushed by government, most Sendcos will opt for that instead.
This, in turn, could mean it becomes economically unviable for higher education providers to offer the NASENCo award, so the option of an in-depth, research-orientated SEN-related qualification is all but removed from the market.
Working to ensure quality
That will mean the NPQ will become the main focus of SEND skills and qualifications in the country. Given that it will be far less involved than the NASENco award, it will, in effect, become the baseline of quality in the sector and so we need to ensure it is high quality.
At present we don’t know what the NPQ will involve. It is pleasing to hear the government say that to ensure the NPQ is “high-quality and provides the knowledge, practical skills and leadership expertise needed for the role”, it wants to work with SEND experts to develop the NPQ framework and course design.
We at Nasen would certainly want to be involved in that work and offer our help, advice and support, and also hope that space remains for the NASENco award so that those focused on an more in-depth SEND qualification have that option, too.
Of course, it will take time for this plan to evolve and in that time we could certainly see a change in the political leadership in this country. Yet we hope that the message that the current SEND system must be reformed is something that has been acknowledged across the political spectrum, and it is not just something that can be kicked down the road to become another party’s problem.
Certainly, when we engage with MPs, they tell us that they are being made aware of this by parents and schools.
Hopefully the plan outlined by the government shows that a new way forward is possible, but we need to work together to ensure that it delivers on its ambitions for the benefit of all pupils.
Annamarie Hassall is the chief executive of the National Association for Special Educational Needs (Nasen)
