Currently, local authorities look at requests for a statement of SEN and tell parents (normally within six weeks) whether they will carry out an assessment. They also explain the assessment process. If the assessment goes ahead, the local authority asks people to give their views on the child - they ask for advice from: the parents, the child’s school, an educational psychologist, a doctor, social services (who will only give advice if they know the child) and anyone else who the local authority thinks it should get advice from to get a clear picture of the child’s needs.
However, the Government wants to fundamentally reform the SEN system to address problems with the current system, including: parents having to battle to get the support their child’s needs; SEN statements not joining up education, health and care support; children falling between the gaps in services or having to undergo multiple assessments; multiple layers of paperwork and bureaucracy adding delays to getting support, therapy and vital equipment; a confusing and adversarial assessment process, with parents’ confidence in the system undermined by the perceived conflict of interest where the local authority must provide SEN support as well as assess children’s needs.
SEN & Expectations
Ofsted and others suggest that too many children are being over-identified as SEN, which they prevents them from achieving their potential, because teachers have lower expectations of them. Kate Fallon, General Secretary of the Association of Educational Psychologists agrees: “We need to be very careful about the classification of SEN and the inherent expectations for children with SEN – and it must not become a catch-all term for children experiencing difficulties. We also need to challenge the notion that SEN is always ‘for life’, as the early intervention and preventative work of educational psychologists can have a significant and long-term impact, helping many children to fully engage in and benefit from learning experiences which will lead to a range of positive outcomes during and after their school lives.”
The Government proposes to include parents in the assessment process and introduce a legal right, by 2014, to give them control of funding for the support their child’s needs; replace statements with a single assessment process and a combined education, health and care plan so that health and social services is included in the package of support, along with education; ensure assessment and plans run from birth to 25 years old; replace the existing School Action and School Action Plus system with a simpler new school-based category to help teachers focus on raising attainment; overhaul teacher training and professional development to better help pupils with special educational needs and to raise their attainment; inject greater independence from local authorities in assessments by looking at how voluntary groups might coordinate the package of support; and give parents a greater choice of school and give parents and community groups the power to set up special free schools.
Currently children who have severe, profound or multiple health and learning needs or disabilities receive a statement of support from their local authority. However, it often isn’t clear – to parents, and to local services – who is responsible for delivering on the statement. For example, services such as speech and language therapy may appear in the statement but are funded and commissioned by local health services.
Children’s Minister Sarah Teather explains: “Parents and voluntary organisations have given us overwhelming examples where they have felt let down by local services. At the moment there is an appalling situation where public money is being wasted as children are growing out of equipment, like wheelchairs, before they even arrive. The new single assessment process and plan will tackle this issue and mean that parents don’t feel they have to push to get the services they are entitled to.”
Currently more than one in five children (21 per cent) in this country are identified as having SEN but only 2.7 per cent have statements.
Identifying a learning need
To help children that have a learning need, but not necessarily a special educational need, the government says that it will: extend the Achievement for All programme so personalised support is mainstream in all schools. “This programme has seen an increase in results and a decrease in pupils on the SEN register. We are inviting bids for an independent organisation to extend the programme across the country,” says the Government.
The government will also facilitate the transition to the open market of Every Child a Reader, Every Child a Talker and Every Child Counts programmes to help those children struggling with early communication, reading and mathematics; introduce phonics-based training to support children who need additional help in reading; work with SEN specialists to develop the Reading Progress Check for six year olds to help identify children who require additional support; introduce a new performance table indicator to give parents clear information on the progress of the lowest attaining pupils; and direct funding to the most deprived pupils – a third of whom are currently identified as having SEN – through the Pupil Premium.
NASEN welcomes green paper
Lorraine Petersen OBE, Chief Executive of the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN), said: “NASEN welcomes the green paper. There has long been a need for a more coherent joined-up approach to the assessment of children and young people identified as having SEN. The proposals for an Education, Health and Care Plan to replace the statement will ensure that all those providing services are involved from birth to 25 and commit to providing services in the plan.
“We are also pleased to see a clear emphasis on training and development for staff in schools – building on the schools white paper. We need our teachers to be well trained and confident to identify needs and barriers to learning and provide the right support early on.
“NASEN is delighted the green paper recognises the important role of the SEN coordinator and is pleased that support for training new SENCOs is continuing.”
The Department will work with the educational psychologist profession and local commissioners to review the future training arrangements for educational psychologists. While the review is being carried out, the Department is making provision for the current training arrangements to continue in order to secure a continuing flow of entrants to the profession. The final year of the current arrangements will be for those whose courses commence in September 2012.
Kate Fallon, General Secretary of the Association of Educational Psychologists stresses the importance of its work: “The role of educational psychologists extends beyond just direct working with children with special educational needs. We can also work with all the staff in schools, including senior managers, teachers and support staff; this can be hugely advantageous in making sure that children are being taught in ways that ensure their development and the best possible outcomes.”
Concerned that cuts might affect the provision of what she sees as a vital service, Kate adds: “The way in which educational psychology services are currently delivered is very likely to change. Although we haven’t seen any compulsory redundancies yet, local authorities are already consulting on significant cuts to their EP teams due to their own financial constraints, while the Government’s push for schools to take on academy status will also change who is commissioning and paying for educational psychology support. In the long-term, this could mean more EPs working in services which are independent of Local Authorities and being bought in by schools and local councils.
“These services are important in ensuring children’s development, including those with special needs. It is crucial that schools are looking ahead and are aware of these changes, so that they have continued access to educational psychology resources.”
Kate adds: “We have seen from the work done by the likes of Frank Field and Graham Allen that early intervention and preventative methods – principles central to the work of EPs - have a huge role in securing the best possible outcomes for young people.
“A very real concern is that financial cuts could put this at risk and severely limit the amount of preventative work that EPs are able to take on. We need to be careful to avoid any such situation, which would have a knock-on and negative effect on outcomes for children with special educational needs.”
Boosting SEN teaching and learning
Brennan Peyton, General Manager of Panasonic System Networks Europe - Imaging Group said: “Using technology to help engage SEN pupils is of utmost importance. Teaching is increasingly about visual learning and interactivity, which is why touch screen technology has proven so popular in the classroom – and learning for those with special needs is no different. If learning becomes an experience, rather than merely a lecturing exercise, the pupils are more likely to show interest, retain information and ask questions.
“Allowing SEN pupils to interact with technology shouldn’t be a hindrance or a challenge to their learning progression, it should be an opportunity. Interactive whiteboards are a great tool in the classroom but they need to be accessible to all. Features like adjustability for a wider range of needs, multi touch compatible capacitive touch sensitivity that can be used by up to three pupils simultaneously and rugged surfaces that resist damage from both impact and cleaning fluids are important. These are key to reducing total cost of ownership when investing in technology and to ensure that all pupils can benefit, irrespective of their individual needs.”
Beechwood College is one of the UK’s leading Specialist Residential Colleges of Further Education for students over the age of 16 who have an ASD or Asperger’s Syndrome. Based just outside Cardiff, the College prides itself on delivering 24-hour personalised education programmes to each of its students and creativity is a key component of the curriculum.
Principle Darren Jackson commented: “Understanding and support for young people with Special Education Needs (SEN) has certainly advanced in recent years. Now, the Government’s SEN and disability Green Paper is set to address some of the complexities in the SEN system. For the parents of a child with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the battle to secure funding and support can be trying and exhausting. Even after statutory primary and secondary education, securing funding for post-16 Further Education is another highly stressful hurdle for parents, compounded by the transition issues experienced by those on the autistic spectrum. The reality is that many students do not secure funding for the education setting of their choice.
“Policy makers now need to ensure that beyond the Green Paper the process of securing funding and support is simplified with a national framework of special needs entitlement that ends the postcode lottery of current provision. Moreover, the Government’s commitment to fund a Further Education placement for a maximum of three years is not always realistic for SEN students who often require additional time to complete a programme of study. I would argue that more time should be afforded to the learner where additional support and guidance is required. ASD is a highly individual condition and there is no generic approach to support but with the right education programme at the right time students are able to make major improvements to their future prospects and quality of life.
“Beechwood College is a leading Specialist Residential College for students over the age of 16 years with an ASD or Asperger’s Syndrome. We have seen some of our most vulnerable and complex students go on to achieve above and beyond expectations. This is the result of an integrated approach involving the active participation of education, clinical and residential teams and a 24-hour learning environment with personalised education programmes that develop formal education alongside life-long learning. “
