The recently published National Audit Office (NAO) report (October 2024) confirms what many school leaders already know: the SEND system isn’t just struggling – it’s stagnated. Despite multiple government initiatives, including the SEND Green Paper and Improvement Plan, we’ve seen no consistent improvement in outcomes since 2019. But what does this mean for those of us leading schools, and more importantly, what can we do about it?

The Scale of the Challenge

The statistics are stark. According to the NAO (2024), only 69% of SEND pupils reach sustained education or employment after Key Stage 4, compared with 85% of their peers. Perhaps more worrying is the declining efficiency of the system itself – just 50% of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) now meet the statutory 20-week deadline, down from 60% in the period 2018-2021.

The financial picture is equally concerning. While high-needs funding has increased by 58% to £10.7 billion over the past decade, the funding per EHCP has actually decreased by 35%. This reduction, combined with a national shortage of over 4,000 special school places, is creating unprecedented pressure on mainstream settings.

Regional Disparities

The situation in the North East illustrates particular challenges. According to the NAO report, 96% of schools in the region report increasing numbers of SEND pupils, with 84% stating they lack the capacity or resources to provide adequate support. The region’s SEND identification rate of 14.6% sits notably above the national average of 13.6%.

These regional challenges are further illuminated by North Yorkshire’s recent SEND inspection (May 2024), which revealed significant inconsistencies in EHC Plan quality and concerning trends in exclusion rates, particularly among primary-aged pupils.

The Human Impact

The Children’s Commissioner’s research (October 2024) adds crucial context to these statistics. Their findings reveal that children with SEND are more likely to attend schools in the most deprived neighbourhoods (18% compared to 15% of non-SEND pupils) and report higher levels of concern about personal safety. Perhaps most concerningly, over a third of SEND pupils report experiencing frequent loneliness.

Moving Beyond Crisis

Despite these challenges, schools can take positive action. The NAO report emphasises the need for ‘bold leadership’ and improved mainstream school support without waiting for formal diagnoses. Here’s how leaders can respond:

Strengthen Early Identification

Rather than waiting for formal diagnoses or external support, develop robust internal systems for identifying and supporting needs. This aligns with the NAO’s recommendation for earlier intervention strategies and improved mainstream provision.

Maximise Existing Resources

With 101 local authorities currently overspending their high-needs budgets (NAO, 2024), creative solutions are essential. This might include:

• Auditing current provision effectiveness
• Exploring innovative staffing solutions
• Building staff expertise in SEND
• Focusing on preventative approaches

There won’t be a school reading this who hasn’t been forced to exhaust that entire list!

Develop Strategic Partnerships

The NAO emphasises poor coordination between education, health and care services as a key issue. Schools can take the initiative in building these crucial relationships locally. Perhaps this is easier said than done when we all know that school budgets in general are in such a sorry state. The onus being on schools to act as the lead professionals as a global solution is clearly flawed.

Having served as a headteacher until very recently, I saw nothing but ‘bold leadership’. This kind of rhetoric just pushes systemic problems back onto leaders and schools who are already stretched way beyond capacity. It’s also patronising in the sense that it implies they are not being creative and bold already. Yes, early identification, improved systems and mainstream school support is what we should be striving for. In my experience, everybody alrwady is! In reality, it is an impossible battle based on the budgets that schools are being given.

Here’s What Teachers and Leaders Want

“Almost nine out of 10 (88%) teachers say they need more help to support their SEND learners. At the most extreme end, 17% of primary teachers said they had ‘nowhere near’ enough help, and this figure is up 54% since 2022. And a further 38% said they needed ‘a lot more help’.

More than three-quarters (78%) of headteachers needed to make cuts to other provisions or staff to pay for the needs of their SEND learners. To improve support for SEND pupils, both primary and secondary teachers want more teaching assistants: 78% and 70% respectively. More time to plan was also asked for in both phases; 52% in primary and 58% in secondary.” Teacher Tapp

This would seem like a logical place to start, wouldn’t it?

Looking Ahead

The new Minister brought SEND under School Standards in the Autumn Budget 2024: change may be coming. However, the NAO’s call for systematic change and improved funding requires immediate action at school level too.

While systemic change requires national reform, focused action in our own settings and networks can make a significant difference to our learners and families.

MATs and clusters of maintained schools have begun to forge their own versions of SEND Hubs, drawing on the resources and expertise within each partner school to cater for the needs of their learners. Remember: you are not working in isolation. If we are all facing the same challenges, then we all have a vested interest to support each other. Start building your network of bold staff and leaders.