The government is to back its push for more inclusion in mainstream schools with new “best practice” guidance to help them set up pupil support units for children with special needs.
The National Children’s Bureau, in a contract worth £119,000, will be the lead partner for the work, and interim guidance will be published later this year, with a final report next February.
The guidance will support the government’s ambition to educate more SEND pupils in mainstream schools, removing the need for expensive special school placements.
A government contract tender said the NCB would “work in collaboration with the DfE to engage lead practitioners and stakeholders, coordinating working groups and produce interim and final guidance”.
‘High quality’ guidance
It said the review would develop “high-quality” guidance for local authorities and schools to establish SEN units and resourced provision.
SEN units, resourced provision and pupil support units all involve provision for pupils with additional needs in mainstream schools, while SEN units offer specialist lessons. Resourced provision acts as a support base for SEN pupils who are mainly integrated into mainstream classes.
Meanwhile, pupil support units are planned interventions occurring in small groups for behavioural reasons or, in some cases, as a final preventative measure to support children at risk of exclusion.
Labour pledged in its manifesto it would take a “community-wide approach” to SEND, improving “inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring that special schools cater to those with the most complex needs”.
