The influential Public Accounts Committee has published its review into SEND.
The report looks into how effectively policy for children and young people with SEND has been implemented by the government. This follows the National Audit Office report into SEND published in 2019. (http://www.nnpcf.org.uk/national-audit-office-report-on-send/)
The NNPCF welcomes the report which echoes the recommendations that the NNPCF conference submitted into the ongoing SEND Review. The report references the evidence that NNPCF co-chair Mrunal Sisodia gave to the committee in September which was based on the work of parent carer forums across the country. ( http://www.nnpcf.org.uk/nnpcf-gives-evidence-to-the-public-accounts-committee/)
The report recommends that the Department for Education:
- Complete the SEND review as a matter of urgency
- Better understand variations in outcomes across the country and between different groups of children with SEND
- Set out the steps to reduce the number of children with SEND excluded from school
- Better incentivise mainstream schools to be inclusive
- Understand and plan for special school places
We are particularly pleased that the committee recommends the work of parent carer forums and urges the Department for Education to use them to better understand what is happening in local areas. The report says that the Department should:
“supplement inspection evidence by drawing on other information to get a rounded, timely assessment of the quality of support for children with SEND. This information should include… intelligence from… parent carer forums…”
NNPCF co-chairs Tina Emery and Mrunal Sisodia said,
“We are delighted that the Public Accounts Committee endorses so many of the recommendations that we have made to the cross governmental SEND review and recommends the work of parent carer forums in local areas. It shows the ever-growing influence and importance of the parent carer forum movement as a key solution to improving outcomes for our children.”