The Great SEND Debate
Unfortunately, the ever-present short falling of provisions in the SEND education sector has reared its head again. This time with some alarming information.
How Long Is Too Long?
Back in 2021, The Guardian released an article exposing the harsh reality that some families are looking at a 5-year wait for an SEN or even just a Special Needs plan. It seems that there are still long waits in 2023.
When it comes to children’s education, those who work in the sector are aware of how vital every week is to children’s development, whether they are SEN or not. This means that these delays in accessing the appropriate care can see those individuals falling further behind, or even running the risk of becoming lost in the system.
For those schools that are then able to take on these children, they may notice that their needs have altered since their initial assessment, due to such long delays. The big question in the education sector is “What is the solution?”.
Challenging SEND Support
It isn’t just the initial SEND support that is experiencing long delays. This week, Schools Week uncovered that parents are waiting up to a year to challenge SEND support decisions.
In some cases, this had led to children sitting at home without a formal education during the most important developmental periods of their life.
This information comes just weeks after it was announced that schools are still seeing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, both in the education of children and the recruitment of Teachers, Teaching Assistants and Support Staff.
If you would like more of your Teaching Assistants to have a better understanding of a number of SEND factors, we have a selection of courses that may be of assistance. For the best course or courses for your school, please contact the team today who will be happy to advise you.