Amanda Hack welcomes £740m SEND Investment to create new specialist places for pupils

Amanda Hack welcomes £740m SEND Investment to create new specialist places for pupils

New SEND reforms continue breaking down barriers to opportunity for every child, at every stage.

In addition to the £1 billion cash boost for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) announced in the recent budget, Bridget Phillipson, the Secretary of State for Education recently revealed an extra £740 million in funding which can be used to enhance classroom accessibility for children with SEND. This funding will help create specialist facilities within mainstream schools. It is the first step toward implementing comprehensive, long-term plans to ensure that more pupils with SEND have their needs met in mainstream educational settings.

The announcement follows a report from the National Audit Office last month, which highlighted the crisis in the SEND system, with limited progress having been made in making mainstream schools more inclusive, harming children’s life chances. This financial support can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, and to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools.

Amanda Hack said:

“SEND provision was raised consistently on the doors during the election campaign and casework continues to arrive in my postbag each week. We must fix a desperately broken system to ensure all our children get the best start possible in life.

Some children have to travel for miles just to go to a suitable school; this in itself has a broader impact on their well-being. It’s important that those with SEND needs have the opportunity to attend a school local to them with the support they require; this funding will help target that approach.

Specialist Schools still have a role to play for those with the most acute needs. However, we have to make provisions available more widely. Last year, only 20% of SEND pupils met the expected reading, writing and maths standard at Key Stage 2 level.  Without proper support, children fall behind their peers, which impacts their future life chances. This must change, and this funding marks a positive in the right direction.”

As well as additional funding, the government also announced that Professor Karen Guldberg has also been appointed as Chair of a new “Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group” – a group of experts that will work alongside the Department for Education to drive support for neurodivergent children in mainstream education, and increase understanding of inclusion. Guldberg brings a wealth of experience from her background as the Director of the Autism Centre for Education and Research, and Head of the School of Education at the University of Birmingham.