SEN students - including in Sussex - failed by poor funding, watchdog says
The National Audit Office is calling for an urgent reform
A watchdog's urging for more money to be spent on SEN support in schools - including in Sussex.
The National Audit Office has found underfunding means the current system is not "providing better outcomes" for children with additional needs.
Only half of the education, health and care (EHC) plans - which set out the provision of SEN support a child or young person needs - were issued within the statutory 20-week time limit in 2023.
Demand for EHC plans increased by 140% between 2015 and 2024 - from 240,000 to 576,000 - and most of the increase related to autistic spectrum disorders, speech, language and communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health needs, the NAO said.
More than half (55%) of pupils in England with an EHC plan were attending state mainstream schools in January 2024, compared to 48% in January 2019.
Vikki Cardy, from Crawley, who's son has ADHD and ASD, is one of them - he's now about to complete his GCSES:
"You feel as though you've failed as a parent, because you're fighting what's right for your child and you're literally butting heads with the school.
"We've been fighting since he was five years old, when he started reception to get him the help and support that he needed.
"Every time, we were turned back."
Over the past decade, the Department for Education (DfE) has increased its high-needs funding allocations by 58% to £10.7 billion.
But the NAO has warned that local authority dedicated schools grant deficits could still reach an estimated £4.6 billion by March 2026.
It said : "DfE estimates that some 43% of local authorities will have deficits exceeding or close to their reserves in March 2026.
"This contributes to a cumulative deficit of between £4.3 billion and £4.9 billion when accounting arrangements that stop these deficits impacting local authority reserves are due to end. As such, the current system is not achieving value for money and is unsustainable."
The NAO is calling on the Government to consider "whole-system reform" to improve outcomes for children with SEN and put SEN provision on a "financially sustainable footing".
It adds that the DfE should develop a "long-term plan for inclusivity" across mainstream education.
The recommendation comes after stakeholders warned that targets based on academic attainment can "disincentivise schools" from being inclusive and some could be incentivised to exclude pupils with SEN.
Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said: "Although DfE has increased high-needs funding, the SEN system is still not delivering for children and their families, and DfE's current actions are unlikely to resolve the challenges.
"The government has not yet identified a solution to manage local authority deficits arising from SEN costs, which ongoing savings programmes will not address."