Deaf News: ‘Extremely concerning’ report reveals SEND assessments are a ‘roll of the dice’

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) assessment system has been strongly criticised in a new report by independent researchers, describing the current process as a “roll of the dice” and a “postcode lottery”.

The research, conducted by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), saw the body track “hundreds of thousands” of pupils from one year group during their time in primary school, with the results revealing “inconsistent approaches” to identifying SEND children.

“The most important finding from this report is that which primary school a child attends makes more difference to their chances of being identified with SEND than anything about them as an individual, their experiences or what local authority they live in.

“Which school a child goes to matters an awful lot to whether they receive SEND support at both the lower and higher levels.

“The system of assessment is inconsistent and not well adapted to children’s individual needs,” it reads.

The document also goes on to reveal that SEND children attending academies have “reduced chances” of being identified, with a decrease by a third at the lower level of education, and by half in the higher level.

“The system is not adapted to the lives of children; it requires them to remain in one place and stay visible over long periods of time to access support.

“This requirement for uninterrupted visibility in order to access timely support for SEND is even more problematic in the current pandemic context, where face-to-face schooling has been suspended during lockdowns and rates of school absence have been elevated.

“The consequences of this are likely to mean delayed SEND identification for children in the early primary year groups,” it continues.

The EPI’s report follows the launch of a review into SEND by the UK Government in 2019, with an aim of “ending the ‘postcode lottery’ [pupils] often face”.

At the time, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “I want parents to know that we’re committed to boosting outcomes and ensuring the right support is in place for children with special educational needs, by breaking down the barriers to a good education and making sure the system works for families.

“Our reforms in 2014 gave vital support to more children, but we know there have been problems in delivering the changes that we all want to see.

“So it’s the right time to take stock of our system and make sure the excellence we want to see as a result of our changes is the norm for every child and their families.”

A national framework detailing “minimum standards of support” for SEND children is one of the recommendations listed in the report, as well as a “far more responsive” funding system and “increased specialist training and support” for school teachers and leaders.

Jo Hutchinson, Director of Social Mobility and Vulnerable Learners at the Education Policy Institute (EPI), said: “For the first time, through analysis of national data, we have provided evidence to show that there is a lottery for support.

“We find that the level of support for children with SEND is highly variable across the country and is very much dependent on which school a child goes to, rather than actual need.

“While access to SEND support was already very unequal, the pandemic is very likely to have resulted in more children falling through the cracks or facing long waits for support.

“We need to significantly improve how we identify pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, so that we can deliver consistently for families and ensure that no child is denied the support that they need.”

Commenting on the findings, Ian Noon of the National Deaf Children’s Society said the report is “extremely concerning”.

“It sadly confirms what parents of deaf children have been telling us for years. There were already wild fluctuations in the support given to children with SEND, and now Covid-19 has made things even worse.

“All of these children are entitled to effective, tailored support at school and their teachers should get the specialist advice they need. This simply isn’t being delivered consistently and it’s the children who are left to struggle on alone.

“The evidence is as clear as it is damning. It now falls to the Government to take stock of these findings, address a system in crisis and make real, lasting change through the upcoming SEND Review,” he said.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.