ALLFIE’s response to NAO inquiry into “Support for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs”

The recent National Audit Office (NAO) inquiry into the planning, support, provisions and spending framework for children and young people labelled with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in England shone a spotlight into DfE and the urgent need for systemic change for Disabled children and young people. The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE), a key stakeholder in this inquiry, argues that the Department for Education (DfE) must make progress towards inclusive education and stop prioritising segregated settings that reinforce societal inequities and limit opportunities for connection, belonging, and achievement.  

Inclusive Education: A Promise Unrealised 

Despite the intention of the Children and Families Act 2014, inclusive education remains unmet goal. Policies continue to favour segregated provisions over inclusive education in mainstream setting (p.5, p.28).  NAO report reinforces this, highlighting the lack of a clear commitment by the DfE to define “inclusive education” or to mandate specific, measurable outcomes for mainstream settings to support Disabled pupils effectively (pp. 5, 28, 31). This implies that DfE lacks a definition for ‘inclusive education’ and therefore promotes inclusive mainstream education alongside segregated education provisions. The DfE’s approach relies on public trust, but without a clear and binding framework such as Article 24 of the UNCRPD – the current system continues to fail Disabled children and young people, perpetuating social and educational inequalities. 

NAO suggests that DfE’s approach is to integrating Disabled children and young people in mainstream schools through the creation of segregated units within these settings. We strongly oppose any policy recommendations that endorse this model, as it reinforces societal inequalities – including ableism and perpetuates discriminatory practices that lead to exclusion and division rather than cultivating connection and understanding. 

Funding and Accountability: A System of Inequity 

The outdated 2009 funding formula of £6,000 per child is applied uniformly nationwide, fails to reflect local diversity and inequalities in under-resourced areas (p.16). NAO laid out the facts that the resourcing of Disabled children and young people should not be financially unstainable, and it is not reforms that are required (p.8). Analysis emphasises how the Government choose to allocate its finance into segregated provisions at huge costs and at the same time withdrawing financial support to mainstream schools. The evidence is shown in how the stark inequalities exist in LA spending per pupil: 

• £61,500 per pupil in independent schools 

• £19,100 for pupils with EHC plans in mainstream secondary schools 

• £23,900 for pupils in state special schools (p.20) 

Resulting in resource scarcity in mainstream schools leaves many parents to “have less confidence in mainstream schools’ ability to support their children.” (p.29). NAO further highlight that 86% of parents of children labelled with SEN at state special schools agreed their child got the support they needed, compared with 71% at mainstream primary and 56% in mainstream secondary schools. (p.29).  

One of the NAO recommendations for DfE is to consider opportunities to “adapt funding and accountability arrangements to encourage inclusivity, building an evidence base for where mainstream settings can best support children with SEN; and how to improve parents’ confidence” (p.11).  Additionally, ALLFIE recommend that the DfE draw on Australia’s approach to inclusive education, which phases out segregated units by reallocating funds and resources to mainstream provisions. 

Inspections and Enforcement: Beyond Superficial Tools 

ALLFIE welcomes models, policies, and practices that genuinely uphold every child and young person’s right to inclusive education in mainstream settings. However, tools like the National Inclusion Dashboard or similar tracking mechanisms are not what Disabled children and young people require.  Without a clear strategy to end segregated systems, the DfE’s measures continue to remain superficial and ineffective in realising Disabled children and young people’s rights to an inclusive education.  

Furthermore, non-compliance with statutory timelines for Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plans and insufficient authority with local authorities having “no powers to require academies to enrol Disabled pupils unless specified in EHC plans, resulting in unequal access” (p.28).  These are the exact issues that ALLFIE argues against, campaigning for a system where inclusive education is the practice, with enforcement measures to hold schools accountable for meeting the requirement of every pupil. 

Addressing Systemic Discrimination  

The NAO report highlights a troubling narrative that blames Disabled children and young people for high SEN budgets and lower school performance standards rather than addressing the systemic inequities within the education system (p. 38).  This scapegoating diverts attention from the real issue. The systemic failings within the SEN system, as well as the ableism and disablism in assessment systems that hinder Disabled pupils’ academic progress by age 19 (p.10). 

In addition, the lack of adequate provisions for Young Disabled people labelled with ‘complex needs’ often remain in education system until 25, even when it may not be the most appropriate provision (p.45) 

Conclusion 

The NAO inquiry did not shy away from the broken state of the SEN system and the urgent need for change. It highlights that the “DfE has not made clear what inclusivity could look like and there are limited incentives for schools to be inclusive.” (p.9) Without a significant policy shift and strategic reallocation of resources, the inequalities and barriers experienced by Disabled children and young people, particularly in under-resourced areas and for families of Disabled children from marginalised communities, will continue to deepen, perpetuating cycles of injustice. 

The DfE must move beyond signalling an interest in inclusive education, it must take concrete action to build public confidence in a system that truly serves all children and young people. This includes phasing out funding for segregated provisions and establishing a clear, sustainable, and long-term goals for inclusive education in mainstream settings. Following the framework set by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and investing in inclusive practices is essential for making inclusive education a reality.   

By: Michelle Daley, Director and Policy and Research Lead, Dr Edmore Masendeke