Commenting on the Education Committee’s “Solving the SEND crisis” report, Jo Hutchinson, EPI’s Co-Director for Early Childhood and Wellbeing, said:
“This is an important report that recognises that we must do more, and not less, to support children with SEND; and that there are no quick fixes that negate the need to invest in our school and specialist workforces to improve capacity and preparedness to meet the full range of childhood needs.
“A step change in training is essential. Current requirements fail to provide adequate grounding in knowledge of child development. Improved training in schools should be matched by better planning for the specialist workforce, from educational psychologists to speech and language therapists, so that support is available when and where children and young people need it.
“SEND reform also demand a national curriculum with more space for personal, social and emotional development, and better coordination between NHS services and education. These improvements are unlikely to be achieved without proper funding and detailed implementation plans with realistic timelines. As the report points out, dismantling safeguards such as EHCPs and tribunals, will not solve deep-rooted systemic issues.
“Prevention is typically more cost-effective than mitigation. Therefore, a renewed approach to additional needs must be complemented by a focus on tackling child poverty. The delayed child poverty strategy cannot wait any longer. Children already experiencing poverty must be better supported in school through targeted funding for persistently disadvantaged children.”
