Furious headteachers have branded the “underfunding” of support for vulnerable pupils as “an act of aggression”.
Education leaders from across the country issued stark warnings about the funding “crisis” they say is hitting support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The Department for Education is boosting high needs funding by £780 million in 2020-21, but headteachers speaking today said this falls far short of what is needed.
Speaking today in Westminster at the first all-party parliamentary group (APPG) meeting on SEND, Marijke Miles, head of Baycroft School in Hampshire, said levels of funding amounted to “an act of neglect”.
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Ms Miles, who is also chair of the NAHT school leaders’ union’s SEND sector council, spoke of the challenges facing families at her special school. She said they have experienced “unending grief, stage after stage”, because “it’s a neverending journey of discovery of what they can’t have and what they won’t have”.
“It just feels as though we’re living in a society that compounds disadvantage and really has not understood the moral purpose of equalising that,” Ms Miles said.
“Funding is at the source of so much of this, and I think it’s really important to look at our own child protection safeguarding practice.
“Neglect is child abuse. A parent who neglects their child and does not meet their basic needs is an abuser. Legally, an abuser.
“Our children in this country are not receiving the funding that they deserve to give them their fundamental rights.
“And therefore it is not a benign act; it’s an unusual act to underfund - it’s an act of aggression, and it’s an act of neglect against children with special educational needs and disabilities.”
Concerns about funding were also highlighted at the meeting by Paul Whiteman, NAHT’s general secretary, as well as other special school heads in attendance.
Mr Whiteman said: “It’s almost uncontroversial now to say that schools have suffered a funding crisis.
“The extent of that crisis is still controversial but everybody accepts that schools have been under a great deal of pressure.
“That gets even more difficult when you look at special educational needs and disabilities.”
Steve Hughes, head of Wilson Stuart School in Birmingham, added: “I would say the system is creaking and shaking, and unless we impact on it pretty quickly it will only get significantly worse.”
And Richard Slade, head of Plumford Primary School in Greenwich, highlighted the impact of growing numbers of children requiring SEND support.
He said: “In 2016 I had five children on EHCPs [education health, and care plans], I’ve now got 21.
“We work our socks off - my staff do - to make provision work, but…we don’t have the budget.
“I’ve got a redundancy meeting tomorrow to make people redundant. It is not working, and it’s down to hard cash.
“Politics is about choices. You’ve got a budget next week - it’s about choice. This [could be] done at the stroke of a pen, if somebody has the political will.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are increasing high-needs funding for local authorities by £780 million next year, boosting the total budget for supporting those with the most complex needs to more than £7 billion in 2020-21.
“No child should be held back from reaching their potential. Our SEND review will look at how we can improve the support children and young people currently receive so the system works for everyone, in every part of the country.”
A petition calling for a boost in SEND funding, signed by more than 300 special school teachers, was due to be handed into 10 Downing Street today after the meeting.
