Children and young people who have SEND, and are eligible for free school meals (FSM), are being shut out of places in high-performing schools, according to a new report, suggesting the government’s inclusivity agenda is at risk of failure.
The study, from the Sutton Trust, found that the top schools for attainment take in half as many disadvantaged pupils with SEND as the average comprehensive.
Furthermore, they admitted 36% fewer of these children than live within their catchment areas.
A survey of school leaders carried out by the social mobility organisation found that this was a deliberate strategy to limit the numbers of disadvantaged SEND children on their rolls.
Discouraging SEND applicants
About four out of ten respondents – 46% of primary leaders and 32% of secondary heads – said they believed some schools in their area actively discouraged applications from pupils with SEND.
This rises to 50% of leaders with the highest proportion of SEND pupils.
The Sutton Trust said schools needed to be incentivised to admit more disadvantaged children with SEND to ensure that the aims of the Schools White Paper were achievable.
The report found local reputations of schools for SEND provision also impacted admissions. More than six out of ten – 63% – of school leaders, said this played a role, and 55% said a school’s reputation for inclusivity had an impact on differing SEND intakes.
A third of school leaders – 32% – believed that parental perceptions on discipline might also explain different levels of SEND intake. A school perceived as being particularly strict, for example, might be seen as an unsuitable destination for their children with SEND, compared to a school with a reputation for being more accommodating to those with additional needs.
We should recognise the tangled web of assessments and incentives, and long-term underfunding, that prevent school leaders taking bolder action on inclusivity
This new report builds on previous Sutton Trust research showing the 500 highest performing comprehensives had fewer children eligible for FSM than the national average, and often fewer than their local averages.
Top schools that are less representative of disadvantage also tend to be less representative of SEND. When looking at the Progress 8 performance measure, 71% of the top 500 schools with an ‘FSM gap’ also had a ‘SEND gap’.
Double disadvantage
The report said this matters because pupils with SEND, and those with the double disadvantage of coming from a low-income background and having SEND, are significantly less likely to attend top state schools, even if there’s one in their local area.
In many cases, this could be down to active discouragement by some schools and underlines the scale of the government’s challenge in creating a more inclusive system where children with SEND can thrive in their local mainstream schools.
The polling also revealed school leaders’ views on what would most help them to educate more pupils with SEND.
Two-thirds stated more teachers or teaching assistants were needed, 58% wanted more specialist support, such as speech and language support, and 28% wanted better training on SEND and inclusion.
One in four leaders in schools with high levels of SEND felt that greater recognition of inclusion in inspections and league tables is key.
The Sutton Trust called on the government to shift school accountability through both Ofsted and league tables, so that schools doing well with very challenging intakes are rewarded and celebrated,
‘Social segregation’
Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust, said: “It’s appalling that many of the top performing schools take in a lower proportion of SEND pupils than live in their catchment area.
“This amounts to further social segregation of the school system, and risks entrenching the double disadvantage faced by low-income families whose children also have SEND needs.
“In many cases, schools appear to be actively discouraging applications from SEND pupils. But we should recognise the tangled web of assessments and incentives, and long-term underfunding, that prevent school leaders taking bolder action on inclusivity.
“This must change if the government is to deliver on its ambition to create more inclusive schools. Right now, too many young people are not able to get the support they need locally, and that’s a disgrace.”
The report is accompanied by an updated ‘School Admissions Dashboard’ showing how well each state secondary school represents its local community.
The Sutton Trust will be making further resources available to schools this Spring to support them in undertaking fair access reviews that assess whether they’re serving an appropriate number of local pupils with low-income backgrounds and with SEND needs.
More information for schools is available here.
