This week’s announcement of the government’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan is welcome news, as in the time that has elapsed since the 2019 SEND Green Paper, our children with SEND, and their families, have continued to experience delays and gaps in provision, stunting their opportunity for success.

What’s more, the plan offers a substantial list of actions designed to address challenges in the system and deliver “improved outcomes in a financially sustainable system”. 

However, while no one is going to reject any proposals that seek to do this, there is so much that has been discussed before that we are at risk of “same old, same old” and simply not achieving anything.

There will be much to talk about in the weeks and months that follow but three things stand out initially:

1. A financially sustainable system

An increase to the high needs budget of “more than 50 per cent over 5 years from 2019” seems laudable but we do have to consider what that money is being spent on.

Is it because there are greater numbers of pupils requiring specialist support or because of a 251 per cent increase in tribunals between 2014-15 and 2021-22, which is depleting funding and leading to overspending?  

Given the complexity of cases and specialist evidence needed, estimated costs are on average £2,000 per tribunal, so it is easy to see how budgets are under such pressure. 

Of course, an improved system will drive cost efficiencies, but we do need to be transparent about where and why current budgets are being stretched if we are to prevent the same issue from occurring in the future. 

Furthermore, while the suggested cut-off of 2026 by which all local authorities are expected to bring high needs budgets back into balance seems reasonable at first glance, when you consider that a significant proportion of the plan will not be implemented before 2025, it is certainly a challenge.

Can local authorities, therefore, be assured that this programme towards deficit reduction will be supported by a staged approach, which maintains provision, rather than any punitive action, which may risk the continuity of support for our children and young people?

2. A national system underpinned by national standards

We are all sick and tired of the postcode lottery that currently dominates access to provision and so a move towards a standardised system is welcome; particularly in the proposal to develop a standard education, health and care plan template.

Yet, delaying this until 2025 is unacceptable; so too that we will have to wait until the end of 2025 before “a significant proportion” of the national standards are published. 

With an already fragmented system, a staggered approach to implementation is unlikely to embed consistency across the sector and it would surely be more appropriate to agree a smaller set of overarching standards that can be applied swiftly and consistently than seek to (potentially) re-write what effective practice looks like, when it’s actually in the system already? 

3. A skilled workforce and excellent leadership

The desire to enhance training and development so that all pupils with SEND can benefit from the “expertise held by the sector” is a welcome recognition, and the acknowledgement that initial teacher training and the Early Career Framework (ECF) need reviewing is long overdue. 

The input from the SEND sector into the ECF was rushed and resulted in tokenistic inclusion, which does not currently provide effective support to early career teachers.

With a range of specialists involved in this review, it will not take long at all to enhance the framework - this is a quick win.

Recognition of the importance of Sendcos is positive; however, we need to ensure this new qualification doesn’t dilute existing training and really offers current and prospective Sendcos the opportunity to be prepared for the day-to-day experience of the role, which is currently missing. 

There was talk of a Sendco apprenticeship, which disappeared into the ether, but could this be revisited as a more practical and supportive route?

The aspiration of the plan is high, but with multiple facets and drivers, experience makes me fear it may be too big to be successfully implemented, particularly with a general election on the horizon and the risk of new ministers taking a different approach.

There has long been talk of improved collaboration across the sector - and of the reciprocal benefits in mainstream and specialist provision working together. 

What we need to see for this plan to work is leadership by example, resulting in cross-party commitment and collaboration that ensures any future leadership changes do not impact negatively on our children again.

Dr Nic Crossley is the CEO of Liberty Academy Trust, a MAT formed of three special schools. She is also national SEND rep at the Association of School and College Leaders, a former member of the Whole School SEND Steering Group and co-founder of the MAT SEND Leaders Group. 

She is an honorary teaching fellow at the University of Warwick for the Centre for Teacher Education

Dr Nic Crossley will be one of the speakers at this year’s E-ACT Ideas Conference: SEND and inclusion for all, in partnership with Tes. Find out more and book your place please here