A recent piece in Tes, highlighting the challenge of reforming special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in Kent, throws an unflinching light onto the issues of how we are (or are not) providing additional support to children who need it.

And while my own experience is deeply rooted in how things work in Kent, I imagine the same situation is also playing out elsewhere in the country - particularly in other selective areas.

First of all, SEND provision in Kent, as with many selective authorities, is complex.

However, for many pupils with SEND, no provision is working well: special schools, selective schools and indeed some high schools are operating openly restrictive admissions criteria to bar children from poorer backgrounds with SEND by making it clear these schools are not for them.

A complex picture

Clearly this is a questionable practice. But, in reality, what this means is schools that operate inclusive approaches effectively become “magnet” schools.

In these schools, it is commonplace to have pupils who are five to six years behind their age group peers. These schools are managing the changing cohorts by judicial use of the mainstream funding they receive.

But, of course, they would do an even better job with funding that actually matched the need.

What’s more, the truth is that special schools are not meeting the needs of the most vulnerable cohorts of pupils as they frequently fill their places by the end of key stage 2 with pupils who could manage mainstream provision with the right support or at minimum attend a Special Resource Provision.

This place blocking prevents the most vulnerable pupils in mainstream provision from getting the right support and accessing specialist provision.

Funding mismatch

Furthermore, the funding for the most vulnerable pupils is not currently in the right place, with those schools that have the highest need losing out to schools, including selective schools, applying for funding for pupils whose needs would be better met in mainstream.

The sector as a whole has to learn from the inclusive schools in light of the new funding realities.

Collaboration and cooperation to build area and district models where the most vulnerable pupils with SEND attend the local specialist school provision, where there is sufficient special resource provision in both primary and secondary, and where mainstream schools meet the needs of all of their pupils, including those with social, emotional and mental health needs who make up the majority of pupils in alternative provision at KS4.

There is money in the system to support the change but leaders of academy trusts and schools cannot close their eyes and wish for the status quo to remain.

A challenging task

Change is challenging and, undoubtedly, Kent County Council has not always managed the process as well as it would wish. However, it is attempting to bring about system change in a climate in which it would appear many are keen to stick to the status quo.

The proposed changes to SEND provision are sensible in identifying those pupils with the most need more effectively so that they benefit from specialist support; by developing specialist provision in mainstream settings to add capacity; and finally by supporting schools to be more inclusive through an inclusion leadership programme.

There are many high-quality inclusive jurisdictions internationally, such as Finland where 91 per cent of pupils with SEND are in some sort of mainstream provision.

Unfortunately, working and living in a selective county bakes in a discourse that means all education provision is seen through a selective lens to the detriment of the most vulnerable pupils.

While additional funding to support non-selective schools becoming more inclusive is obviously helpful, there needs to be a fundamental re-imagining of what excellent provision looks like and ensuring that all schools, not just the magnet schools, provide an adapted curriculum, appropriate behaviour policies and high-quality teaching for those pupils who are below their chronological ages.

Kent County Council and a wide variety of school leaders are currently engaged in this re-imagining and I for one am excited about the final blueprint emerging in the next few months.

Seamus Murphy is CEO of Turner Schools in Folkestone

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