“Levelling Up Education” is a conference series aimed at providing the roadmap for education leaders on key pillars of opportunity such as – Finance and SEND.
The last 2 years have been turbulent for Education leadership, however, education and government leaders are now looking towards 2022/23 onwards, anticipated to be a phase of recovery and levelling up.
The SEND Update will look at the financial black hole at the heart of the SEND system, which has ballooned to £1.3 billion this year (2022), an increase of more than £450 million in just 12 months as the places crisis bites.
Nationwide, the number of pupils with EHCPs has risen from 237,000 in 2015-16 (2.8 per cent of all pupils) to 326,000 last year (3.7 per cent).
The recent SEND green paper, titled “Right support, right place, right time”, commits to identifying children more efficiently.
The proposed policies look to incorporate a “single national SEND and alternative provision system that sets clear standards for the provision that children and young people should expect to receive”.
A round up of what you need to know:
1. New national SEND standards
Too much local discretion, the new standards would act as a ‘common point of reference’ for education.
2. Digital, standardised EHCPs
This would allow for better data collection, anonymous tracking of progress towards outcomes.
3. ‘Tailored list’ of schools based on ‘local inclusion plans’
Where a child is identified as needing a specialist placement, parents will be provided with ‘tailored’ list, based on new local inclusion plans.
4. Mandatory mediation on EHCP disputes
Families and councils will have to undergo mediation on disputes over EHCPs before registering an appeal.
5. Tighter rules on SENCo qualifications
SENCo national professional qualification to replace the current NASENCo.
6. National funding bands and tariffs
National system of banding and price tariffs for funding, matched to levels of needs and types of education provision. Most councils already used their own banding systems, a national framework would provide more consistency.
7. National SEND funding formula, £6k threshold review
Considering whether £6,000 remains the right threshold. The appropriate threshold will be considered in context of the responsibilities that sit with mainstream schools under the new national standards.
8. Regions group take charge – and can parachute in new leaders
The group will act as a “single risk-based regulator” for MATs and provide oversight of local authorities.
9. New ‘inclusion dashboards’
For 0 to 25 provisions will offer a “transparent picture” of how the system is performing at local and national level for “strengthened accountability and transparency to parents”.
10. ‘Contextual’ league tables
Performance measures will also be updated to allow for contextual information about a school alongside its results data. This will “make it easier to recognise schools and colleges that are doing well for children with SEND”.
With accessible versions of the paper delayed, the SEND consultation review period has been extended to July 22nd, meaning this conference is aptly timed for those seeking support.
Key areas of discussion:
• The SEND Green Paper
• Safeguarding and SEND
• What needs to change
Sources:
Freedom of Information Request, Department of Education, SEND Review Green Paper and Schools Week
