When it was launched in 2015, the new SEND Code of Practice was described by a government minister as being at the heart of the “biggest education reforms in a generation for young people with special educational needs”. It was clear that it was intended to be transformative for both pupils and their families.

I recall reading the document at the time and finding myself in complete agreement with the core principles and aims. There was little to take issue with: a stronger voice for young people and their families - great; focusing on long-term outcomes - entirely sensible; closer co-operation between education, health and social care - exactly what was needed.

However, having spoken with large numbers of Sendcos up and down the country, I am becoming increasingly concerned that some of the most important and ambitious goals of the reforms are in danger of being lost. There is a real risk that far from being the “biggest reforms in a generation”, we are going to end up with a range of tweaks to the system, but not the fundamental changes that were envisioned.

This is not to say that from a school’s perspective there has been no change. We know from our own research that schools and Sendcos have adapted remarkably well to the new code. Sendcos and school leaders have updated SEND policies, uploaded their school information report, worked on converting statements to EHC plans and made the move from School Action and School Action+ to School Support.

We also shouldn’t forget that these changes have been achieved during a period of enormous upheaval for schools. Sendcos have had to compete with major curriculum reforms and the implementation of an entire new assessment system as they try to embed new ways of working across the school. Simply getting enough staff-meeting time in this climate has been a challenge. Sendcos deserve enormous credit for implementing these changes amidst a plethora of wider far-reaching school reforms.

No capacity for support

However, the message I keep hearing from Sendcos up and down the country is one of frustration. In the vast majority of cases this frustration is centred on the difficulties they are facing in accessing and working in partnership with colleagues from health and social care, as well as other outside agencies.

Most Sendcos were delighted to see an emphasis on greater collaboration between education, health and social care services emphasised in the new code, but the reality is they are finding this harder than ever. Whether it be educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists or CAMHs specialists, the concept of ongoing close-partnership working seems as far away now as it has ever been.

This is not a criticism of those services, or indeed the professionals themselves. The reality is that chronic underfunding over a period of time means that there is just not the capacity to support schools in the way the code of practice intended.

I sense the same frustration among those professionals, too. They are struggling with unmanageable caseloads and therefore find it almost impossible to support pupils as they would like. A recent report by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists found that children without EHC plans are not getting the support they need, with only 40 per cent of respondents saying they had the capacity to deliver services to children without EHC plans. Equally, we are all well aware of the challenges schools face in getting support for pupils with mental health needs.

There have been recent signs that the government is at last waking up to the issue in terms of mental health support for young people, and it is critical that the positive rhetoric is now matched with funding that goes directly to provide front line services.

However, this is just one part of the jigsaw. We need to see investment in the broader range of health and social services if one of the central tenets of the Code of Practice is to be realised. Without this proper investment, there is a real risk that we will achieve only surface-level change.

James Bowen is director of middle leaders’ union NAHT Edge. He tweets at @JamesJkbowen 

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