MP warns of a ‘shocking’ lack of support for children with special educational needs, as schools return

And the lack of support for these youngsters from the Government has been condemned by Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh.

Headteachers at more than 200 schools and colleges in England told researchers from ASK Research that they had insufficient staff numbers, limited space, and inadequate funding to provide safe education to all children with special educational needs.

School leaders also complained that the government’s guidance has been unclear. This has led to variations in how schools are interpreting guidelines, what activities are considered safe or unsafe and what additional measures are being put in place to ensure the safety of pupils and staff.

A lack of government support and clear guidance means that adhering to safe practice, such as social distancing, presents a particular challenge for special schools and colleges. Many pupils attending special schools require personal and one-to-one care, meaning they must be in frequent close contact with staff.

Last year, a National Audit Office report found that between 2013/14 and 2017/18 there was a real-terms reduction of 2.6 per cent in funding for pupils with high needs. It concluded that funding cuts have left schools without the resources they need to provide specialist SEN support and that many pupils “are not being supported effectively”.

As a result, some families have been left with no choice other than to educate their children at home. In Sheffield, over the last six years, the number of children being home-educated has risen from 268 to 600.

Ms Haigh s aid: “Children in Sheffield are being badly let down by a system that lacks the funding and resources to support them. The SEN system was in crisis even before the coronavirus pandemic but the situation is now even worse. More and more parents in Sheffield are telling me that they are home-educating their children because there aren’t enough places in special schools. That is shocking.”

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