Support for pupils with SEND is one of the main areas being axed by schools as they continue to struggle to make ends meet, according to a new study.
More than four in ten school leaders – 43% – said they were cutting provision, with primary schools more severely affected than secondaries.
And schools were also cutting back on teaching assistants, who often give SEND pupils one-to-one support and teachers.
The Sutton Trust report questions whether mainstream schools will be in a position to take on more SEND pupils, as envisaged by Ministers in their SEND reforms published in February.
There remains considerable uncertainty about how the huge SEND reforms will be paid for
It is calling for a boost to funding for staffing and access to specialist SEND services “if mainstream schools are to deliver on the government’s ambitions to improve the availability and quality of SEND support”.
Staffing and subject cuts
The study, carried out by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER), surveyed 1,105 teachers and senior leaders.
It found that 71% were reporting cuts to teaching assistants, 49% to support staff and 30% to teachers.
There were also cuts to subject choices at GCSE, cited by 30% of respondent and 28% said it was affecting A-level choices. Almost half were cutting IT equipment and 47% to trips and outings.
Respondents were also pessimistic about the future, with more than eight of out 10 predicting further cuts in the years ahead – mainly on teaching assistants and tutoring.
Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust, said: “Schools are in a financial crisis that’s more than a decade and a half in the making, and we’re seeing the long-term results of those cuts today.
“Meanwhile, the funds intended for the most disadvantaged children are being further devalued and diverted elsewhere. And there remains considerable uncertainty about how the huge SEND reforms will be paid for.
“With ambitious government reforms on the horizon, now is the time to target measures that will rebalance funding towards the pupils and schools that need it most. At some point, we need to decide whether we’re serious about education in this country or not.”
“Contradiction in aspirations”
Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“This research shows the contradiction which exists between the government’s aspirations for the education system and the amount of money that it is prepared to provide to realise those aspirations.
“That contradiction is perhaps most stark in the fact that many schools are having to cut resourcing for SEND support at exactly the time the government has launched a programme of major reforms which involve far more expectations on mainstream schools.
“Although the government has made some additional funding available, this is unlikely to be sufficient to support reforms on the scale envisaged or address existing funding shortages.
“The mismatch between expectations and resources is a long-standing issue in our education system which undermines the provision that schools can provide and is resulting in a workforce which is increasingly feeling burnt out and demoralised.”
Horrible choices
Meanwhile, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Most school leaders will recognise the kind of horrible choices outlined in these findings, including having to make cuts to staffing and resources.
“It is clear that much more investment is still needed to turn this situation around and to ensure schools are fully equipped to deliver on the government’s proposed reforms to the broken SEND system.”
