Two thirds of teachers rate SEND provision as ‘poor’

A survey of National Education Union (NEU) members, using an Ofsted-style ranking system, found that 67.3 per cent rated provision as “poor” with a further 31.1 per cent rating it as “requires improvement”. Only 1.6 per cent of members rated provision as “good”, with none rating it “outstanding”. Meanwhile, 88 per cent of respondents said they believe the challenges faced in supporting SEND pupils have worsened since 2015, with 53 per cent of all respondents saying it has got “a lot worse”. Just seven per cent said they experienced an improvement. The vast majority of respondents (92 per cent) said the next government must provide more funding in order to improve the situation. The survey involved 318 NEU members from primary schools, secondary schools, early years settings and special schools. The findings come just two months after a damning report by the National Audit Office warned that SEND support “is not, on current trends, financially sustainable”, calling on the government to take urgent action to adequately fund the system. Read more.