Commenting on the report of the National Audit Office on the
special educational needs and disability system in England,
Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT – The
Teachers' Union, said:
"This report serves to underline NASUWT's longstanding warnings
about the crisis in England's special educational needs and
disability system.
"The NAO rightly highlight the important contributors to this
crisis, including the lack of join-up between different services
for children, problems in assessing needs in a timely way, and
the pressures on those working in the education system to ensure
that the needs of children and young people with SEND are met.
"Critically, today's report also confirms NASUWT's concerns about
the severe risks to general local authority finances of rising
deficits in high needs budgets.
"Children, young people, their families and the staff that work
with them deserve better.
"The Secretary of State is right to highlight the extremely
difficult legacy left by the last government and that it will
take time to resolve the deep and profound problems the system
faces.
"In the immediate term, however, we repeat our call to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to use the Budget next week to
relieve some of the financial pressures faced by local
authorities with the highest SEND deficits.
"More broadly, it is important that the high priority the
government has placed on addressing the SEND crisis leads to
action to place the system on a more sustainable footing.
"We welcome the recognition by the Secretary of State that all
those with a stake in the success of the system need to work in
partnership not only to describe the nature of the problem, but
also to help identify and implement solutions in which children
and their families, the workforce and the public can have
confidence. NASUWT stands ready to play its part in this
difficult but vitally important task."
