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Children with special educational needs are facing a “postcode lottery” over support and more could be “falling through the cracks” due to Covid-19, new research suggests.
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) think tank says the pandemic is likely to have exacerbated existing problems with identifying children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).
It adds that increasing numbers of vulnerable pupils – and their families – are likely to have missed out on support as a result of months of remote education and growing delays in the system.
The EPI analysis, which has been funded by the Nuffield Foundation, concluded there are “deeply concerning” inconsistencies in how children with Send across England are identified and supported, with some pupils more likely to access support than others.
The research – which has tracked hundreds of thousands of pupils from a single year group through primary school – indicates that a child’s access to Send support is largely determined by the school they go to rather than their individual circumstances.
Children who move school, are frequently absent from class, have suffered abuse or neglect, or who attend academy schools are less likely to be recognised as having Send than otherwise similar children, it adds.
Researchers also found that children in the most disadvantaged areas of the country are less likely to be identified with Send than peers in more affluent areas.
Director of social mobility and vulnerable learners at EPI, Jo Hutchinson, said there is evidence to show there is “a lottery for support”.
She said: “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.
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“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.”
Executive chairman of EPI, David Laws, said the report exposes “the erratic and unequal way” in which support for pupils with Send is provided.
He said: “It is especially concerning that many of the most disadvantaged children with unstable home lives are less likely to access support for more complex learning needs.
“With the pandemic acting as a further barrier to assessing children’s needs, the Government must drastically improve its efforts to ensure that it is reaching the most vulnerable children in society.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We know that despite the important reforms introduced to improve support for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), the system is not working for every pupil – that’s why our Send Review is looking at how to make sure it is consistent all over the country, high quality, and integrated across education, health and care.
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“We have also boosted high needs funding by nearly a quarter to £8 billion in 2021-22, and are supporting local authorities and their partners to improve Send services for every young person with an Education, Health and Care Plan.
“This includes the programme of inspections and interim visits by Ofsted and the CQC to check the quality of provision as well as direct support and challenge to individual areas.”
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