National Audit Office: Five years of stagnation in the SEN system
Systemic Failings Continue to Undermine Support for Vulnerable Children
Once again, we find ourselves reflecting on another report highlighting the inadequacies of the system designed to support our most vulnerable children and young people. Unfortunately, this latest assessment, while disappointing, is not surprising.
The National Audit Office (NAO) released its latest report on 24 October 2024, evaluating how well the current system in England is supporting children and young people (from birth to 25 years) identified as having special educational needs (SEN). It also reviews the Department for Education’s (DfE) progress in addressing the deep-rooted challenges that undermine a sustainable system capable of delivering positive outcomes.
Schools North East and the National Network of Special Schools for School Business Professionals (NNoSS) provided critical insights to the NAO, leveraging our position as the voice of schools in the North East and as the driving force behind NNoSS. It was essential for us to contribute evidence to this report to highlight the urgent issues facing our region and special and AP settings nationally.
Rising SEN Needs and Lack of Capacity
In our ‘State of the Region’ survey from Spring 2024, North East schools identified rising levels of SEND as one of their top concerns. An overwhelming 96% of schools reported an increase in students with SEND, particularly in diagnoses of autism, social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) issues, and speech and language difficulties.
However, 84% of schools indicated they lacked the capacity and resources to support these students adequately. This challenge is even more acute in the North East, where SEND rates stand at 14.6%, significantly higher than the national average of 13.6%, and the region has one of the highest rates of education, health, and care plans (EHCPs).
A Stagnant System Failing to Improve Outcomes
The NAO report starkly highlights that since 2019, there has been no consistent improvement in outcomes for children and young people with SEN. This is particularly alarming given the multiple initiatives introduced over the last five years, including the SEND Green Paper, the SEND Improvement Plan, and the SEND Change Programme. Yet, despite these efforts, the same critical issues persist, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in government.
The report shows that, in 2021/22, 69% of children with SEN at Key Stage 4 were in sustained education, apprenticeship, or employment after leaving post-16 education, compared to 85% of their non-SEN peers. This is nearly unchanged from 2018/19, further illustrating the stagnation in progress.
Moreover, only 50% of EHCPs were issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe in 2023, a significant decline from the 60% range seen between 2018 and 2021. This continued delay further erodes the trust families and young people place in a system that consistently falls short.
A Lack of Strategic Direction
Perhaps most concerning, there appears to be a lack of a coherent strategy for meeting future needs. There is no accurate understanding of how much capacity is required to support SEN pupils or where that capacity should be built. This lack of foresight is deeply unsettling, especially given that real-terms funding per EHCP has fallen by 35% in the past decade, despite high-needs funding allocations increasing by 58% to £10.7 billion between 2014-15 and 2024-25.
Local authorities are feeling the strain, with 101 local authorities overspending their high-needs budgets in 2022-23. The DfE itself acknowledged that national demand for state special school places exceeded capacity by at least 4,000 pupils last year.
The Need for Bold Leadership and a Strategic Plan
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, aptly stated: “Now is the time for bold leadership with a focus on joining up education, health, and care services, to drive better planning and earlier intervention so that fewer children reach crisis points that require costly acute care.” She also emphasised the need for mainstream schools to be equipped to meet the needs of all children, including those with disabilities, without waiting for diagnoses to unlock support.
At last week’s Schools North East annual Summit, Catherine McKinnel MP delivered her first major public address as the new Minister for School Standards, followed by a Q&A with Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East. The topic of SEND was mentioned numerous times, and McKinnel discussed the government’s recent decision to bring SEND under her remit, emphasising a vision for a more inclusive school system.
In a statement responding to the NAO report, she added: “Our plans include strengthening accountability for mainstream settings to be inclusive, for instance through Ofsted, and helping the mainstream workforce to have SEND expertise.
“It is clear that we need to work with the teachers, parents, children, therapists and councils who, for so long, have been trying but have been set up to fail by a broken system. This work forms part of the Government’s opportunity mission, which will break the unfair link between background and opportunity and will start by giving every child, including children with special educational needs and disabilities, the best start in life.”
Will the Autumn Budget Provide Solutions?
As the Autumn Budget 2024 approaches, the NAO report leaves little room for optimism. With 1.9 million children and young people identified as having SEND in January 2024, the government must address these systemic issues head-on. Yet, recent budgets have not prioritised education, and there is little indication that the new Labour administration’s upcoming budget will provide the long-term, strategic plan or funding that schools urgently need.
Regardless of the outcome, Schools North East will continue to lead the charge, advocating for meaningful change on behalf of our schools, students, and families. We will persist in engaging with policymakers and partners to push for a sustainable, well-resourced SEND system that addresses the challenges of today and the future. SEND remains very firmly at the top of our agenda.
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To help us in our influencing work, we are conducting ‘state of the region’ surveys regularly throughout this academic year. We will ask the same set of core questions every term (as well as additional questions where relevant) to get a snapshot of the situation in North East schools, and to see how the situation develops across the year. Get your voice heard by filling in the Autumn 2024 survey here.
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*We are holding an in-person roundtable on 11 November where the Children’s Commissioner will be our guest speaker. The discussion will have a strategic focus, looking in detail at individual policy issues such as those around SEN, and is a great opportunity to get your voice heard. Book your place now.