At this year’s Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Harrogate, the Education Policy Institute has partnered with the National Education Union (NEU) to hold a public panel on ‘Addressing the SEND funding crisis’.
The current Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system is not working.
Months-long wait times for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) mean many councils now miss the 20-week legal deadline. There’s a lack of special school places and significant deficits in local authority budgets, compounded by a funding formula based on poor data that doesn’t consider the actual cost of provision. These issues are heightened by the major challenges recruiting and retaining teachers, educational psychologists and support staff across mainstream and special schools. The strain on local authorities to deliver for these children has never been greater.
We also know that these issues are impacting the life chances of children in England. Children with SEND are some of the most educationally disadvantaged in the English school system; EPI research finds that, while gaps at each educational phase have been narrowing over time, they remain significant. Children who receive SEN support in school were 22 months behind their peers with no identified SEN at the end of KS4 in 2023. For children with an EHCP, the attainment gap was over three years.
The Budget announcement of a further £2.3 billion for schools, of which £1 billion has been earmarked for high needs, was welcomed by the sector. However, £1 billion represents a quarter of the deficits that the National Audit Office estimates that local authorities have accumulated. Given the perilous state of local authority budgets, it is critical to discuss how this funding will be allocated and what it is intended for, otherwise the risk continues that services for our most vulnerable will be cut.
Alongside additional funding, it is also key to consider how to reform the system to ensure that allocated funds are aligned with the true costs of providing support to all children who require it, so that unavoidable overspends do not reoccur in the future.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for a National Body for SEND which would fund support for children with the most complex needs and limit the amount schools have to pay towards the costs of a child’s additional SEN support. What role could this body play in tackling the crisis?
This panel will bring together politicians, school leaders and SEND specialists to examine the challenges schools and local councils face and the role they can play in ensuring every child can access the education and support they need. Panellists will discuss the impact of private provision on the system, both in terms of funding and capacity; how a National Body for SEND would fit within the current system and what reform to high needs funding should look like to meet real costs of provision.
Natalie Perera, EPI’s Chief Executive, will chair the session. Other panellists will be confirmed shortly.
** Note: This event will take place in the conference secure zone. To access the secure zone you will need to obtain a pass directly from the Liberal Democrat Party.**
