School leaders have cast serious doubt on the ability of schools to implement the SEND reforms proposed by the government in the Schools White Paper.
Members of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) meeting at the annual conference, in Belfast, said broadly supported the reforms set out by the government in February, with two-thirds being favourable to the proposals.
However, eight out of ten said the timescales were unfeasible, and 86% believed their school did not have the capacity to implement the SEND reforms effectively with the proposed training and investment.
Nine out of ten called for additional SEND-specific investment, and 73% said more money was needed to the provision of health and social care services for children and families.
And 85% supported a new model for targeting disadvantage funding, potentially using income data rather than the eligibility for free school meals.
Schools can’t simply be told to educate more children and young people with higher needs without significant extra resource
Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, said: “Credit where it is due: the UK government’s education White Paper sets a vision for education that we have not seen for well over a decade. We have a government that is going beyond acknowledging the send crisis and is grasping the nettle of reform.
“The promises represent much of what the profession has been crying out for. But it’s the delivery that worries me.
“The government has already allocated additional funding to back these reforms, but as prices rise and the basic costs of running a school soar, I am not convinced that the worthy ambitions of the white paper will be realistic unless additional funding is made available.
“Far more needs to be done to reassure school leaders that the reforms can truly work – crucially, additional investment will be vital. Schools can’t simply be told to educate more children and young people with higher needs without significant extra resource.”
