NASS response to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s Speech on SEND Reforms (7th November 2024)
I was heartened to see Bridget Phillipson put children and young people with SEND at the heart of her recent speech to the Confederation of School Trusts. The thought of another lengthy period of reform, so hot on the heels of last year’s Change Programme is daunting but it’s hard to suggest that Government had options to do much different. Government is right that mainstream schools need better and more consistent support to help them support learners with SEND and I hope that they are willing to make the investment – financial, time and cultural capital – to make that a reality. However, no special school, or supporting organisation, hears policy announcements that explicitly link ‘inclusion’ and ‘mainstream schools’ without wondering about what this means for their place in the SEND system. To date, Government has made the usual placating statements that ‘special schools will always be needed’ but we don’t yet have a sense of why and how.
Our vision is that special schools are, and should continue to be, centres of excellence - settings that deliver and evidence the best possible outcomes for children and young people with SEND. We believe strongly in the value of inclusion, and we know many of our member schools are already working effectively alongside mainstream counterparts to share strategies and support practices that strengthen all schools. But true inclusion needs to mean more than where children are educated. It’s about creating a system where all children thrive as a result of having their individual needs identified and met quickly and effectively. To do that, we have a few priorities in mind:
Build up mainstream support
Strengthening mainstream schools must come first. For any inclusive system to succeed, we need to equip mainstream schools with the proper resources, staffing and specialised training to provide real support to SEND learners. It’s essential to give these schools the foundation and capacity to handle the diverse needs of all students. Without this, inclusion in mainstream schools will remain an ambition, rather than a reality, for many children. There’s no point in attempting to reduce numbers in special schools by setting artificial targets or quotas and to do so risks children being left without support that they desperately need. I have heard the word ‘organically’ used to describe the intended move from special to mainstream. We need to ensure that this is what really happens and that there are no sneaky squirts of ‘policy weedkiller’ directed at the bits of the system Government does not want to grow.
Recognising the vital role of special schools
While we share a vision of inclusivity, we must be mindful not to define inclusion by placement location alone. For many children, special schools provide the optimal setting for their growth, development and achievement. In every school we visit, we hear the stories of children able to access the curriculum for the first time, to have friends for the first time and to have a sense of belonging and peer group for the first time. The idea of children being denied access to the specialist environments they need and deserve is deeply concerning to us. Special schools play a critical role and to move forward we must recognise, develop and protect that.
Investing in specialised knowledge and practices
There’s immense value in the knowledge developed within special schools and it has broad benefits for the entire education system. Our member schools house a wealth of specialist pedagogy and interventions that are life-changing for the children and young people they support. As we look to support more children in mainstream schools, we must also support special schools in sharing and growing this expertise. The unique teaching methods and interventions developed in our schools won’t emerge organically in resourced units or mainstream settings alone. This is knowledge that needs dedicated spaces and investment.
Setting a vision for special schools in an inclusive future
For better outcomes for all children, an inclusive system that looks as ‘inclusion’ in broad, encompassing terms and that values both special schools and mainstream schools is fundamental.
Now is the right time to consider the role of special schools in the long term. As we raised in our Manifesto earlier this year, it has been 21 years since Government last undertook a policy review of special schools.
Special schools should not just be seen as necessary alternatives when things go wrong elsewhere; they should be pillars of an inclusive system that truly recognises each child’s needs. Inclusion should be about a child’s access to the right resources and life opportunities, not merely a push to locate them in a particular setting. With a clear, forward-thinking vision, we can position special schools as leaders in SEND excellence, driving standards that lift the entire sector.
NASS champions the potential of a balanced system - one where mainstream and special schools work together to support all children, families and schools. NASS looks forward to being part of that journey, working together with policymakers and our special school community to make it a reality.