Schools must take their “fair share” of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to avoid unfairly overloading so-called “magnet” schools that have a good reputation for supporting them, a Department for Education official has said.
The DfE’s SEND and disability professional adviser, André Imich, was speaking at the Schools and Academies Show in Birmingham, where he acknowledged that the impact of this trend “is an issue”, and added that the fact this was happening to a primary setting was especially notable.
Mr Imich was answering a question from a governor at a primary school who said its reputation for delivering strong SEND provision has led to an increase in demand from parents across the school’s local area.
“It says something about the schools around you - why aren’t they doing more so parents want [their children] to go to their local school because, actually, for primary schools, most parents go to the school that’s closest to their house,” Mr Imich said.
“Somehow we’ve got to do something about the schools around you because they need to be taking their fair share.”
He added: “We all want our schools to be welcoming for all.”
Mr Imich also told delegates that parents’ concerns over a growing number of pupils with SEND at a school having a negative impact on fellow students’ education was not supported by research.
The DfE has previously acknowledged the issue where “magnet” schools feel they are taking on more pupils with SEND than average in its SEND review in 2022.
“While some mainstream schools are inclusive and support children and young people with SEND, we have heard too many examples where this does not happen. Accountability measures can be seen as a disincentive for schools to be inclusive and take on pupils,” the review says.
“There is a perception that those that do welcome pupils with SEND become ‘magnet schools’ and see increasing numbers attending, which becomes unsustainable over time.”
Rising number of pupils with SEND
The incoming general secretary of the Association of Schools and Colleges and headteacher at Wales High School in Rotherham, Pepe Di’Iasio, told Tes last year that having a reputation in this area was akin to having a “five-star review on Tripadvisor”.
He said it was making his school’s provision hard to maintain due to its impact on budgets, and on assessment and attainment outcomes.
Annamarie Hassall, chief executive of Nasen, also speaking at the Schools and Academies Show, said it is clear there are rising numbers of pupils with SEND in the system and parents will do what they need for their child’s education.
She said: “We can see numbers are increasing, but we say that is attributed to the skills and expertise of those in schools to identify those needs and the confidence of parents to ask and to ask again and again - and loudly - if no support for their children is forthcoming.”
