One in five primary school teachers say they have “nowhere near the help they need” to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), new data has revealed.
New Teacher Tapp data has revealed that 19 per cent of primary teachers said they felt this way about the support they had in place, while another 34 per cent said that they could use a lot more help.
The proportion of primary school teachers who said they had nowhere near the help needed has almost doubled since Teacher Tapp asked this question in June last year.
The latest data has prompted calls from headteachers’ leaders for the government to assess and increase the amount of high-needs funding it provides to schools to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.
They also warned that schools cannot afford the TAs needed.
There was also a rise in the proportion of secondary teachers who said they had nowhere near the help needed, with 8 per cent saying they experienced this level of anxiety over a lack of support in the latest survey compared with 5 per cent last year.
At primary level, just 9 per cent of teachers said they had everything they needed, compared with 13 per cent last year, while 19 per cent of secondary teachers said they had enough support in both polls.
Three-quarters said more teaching assistant support was needed to support pupils with SEND, up from 63 per cent in 2022.
Almost half of teachers said they wanted more time to plan and 40 per cent said they needed more advice on how to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.
SEND a ‘tiny part’ of ITT
Natalie Conway, head of SEND at the Pioneer Academy Trust, which runs 17 primary, infant and junior schools, said: “With school budgets under more and more pressure, we can completely understand why teachers feel that they need more TA support to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.
“However, schools are simply not in a position to be able to provide this level of human resource anymore.”
She also raised the issue of teacher training, adding: “SEND is a tiny part - when covered at all - in initial teacher training.
“Many early career teachers come to our trust with little or no training on specific needs and how to adapt the classroom and curriculum for these children.
“We offer training within our trust to teachers on specific SEND needs but what would be preferable is teachers having this training before they enter the classroom.”
James Bowen, assistant general secretary at school leaders’ union the NAHT, said: “Sadly, these figures come as no surprise. The SEND crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing education right now.
“Put simply, schools are trying to cope with increasing demand and complexity of need without the resources they need.
“While the government talks about ‘record levels of investment’ in SEND, it simply does not match the reality on the ground.
“The truth is that the government failed to back its 2014 reforms with the necessary funding and we have been dealing with the consequences ever since.”
‘Illuminating and bleak’
Mr Bowen said the union’s data showed that “many primary schools are having to cut back on teaching assistant hours just to make budgets balance” and called for “an honest appraisal of the funding needed to allow schools to properly meet every child’s needs”.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This survey data from Teacher Tapp is both illuminating and bleak. It is perfectly clear that the SEND system is under immense and unsustainable pressure.”
He added that a lack of sufficient funding means many schools can’t offer the level of TA cover or time and training needed for staff.
“They are doing their very best in these difficult circumstances but this obviously feels deeply unsatisfactory to everyone concerned - parents, staff, pupils and leaders,” he said.
Mr Barton said the government had a “moral duty” to use the forthcoming Autumn Statement to invest in school SEND provision “on behalf of children who most need additional help and support”.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Every child deserves to have access to education that meets their needs. Our recent Improvement Plan will reform the support system for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, prioritising earlier intervention and creating consistent high standards across the country.
“We are putting significant investment into the high needs budget to support them, including a further £440 million for 24/25, bringing total funding to £10.5 billion - an increase of over 60% since 2019-20.”
