Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND): our position

NGA’s view is that the current system is fundamentally broken and requires radical change. More information can be found in our published SEND paper.

Governing boards have statutory responsibilities for pupils with SEND and can lead the way in setting a school or trust culture which emphasises inclusion. However, many boards are currently forced to balance statutory duties and a vision for inclusion against a backdrop of increased demand for support, cost pressures and reduced capacity within local authorities and external services alike. This means that for many schools and trusts, the necessary improvements to provision and outcomes are beyond the capacity of boards and their staff.

To resolve this crisis, NGA advocates for reform built on four essential pillars:

Restructuring funding: we must shift from reactive, EHCP-driven allocations to proactive mainstream investment. This requires protecting the real-terms value of Notional SEN budgets and increasing the decade old £6,000 threshold for top-up funding to reflect inflation adjusted costs.

Building professional capacity: a national workforce strategy is required to embed SEND training at all levels – from initial teacher training to ongoing CPD. Collaboration through MATs and partnerships should be leveraged to share specialist expertise and multi-agency support.

Transforming parent relationships: partnership must replace the current "parents versus schools" dynamic. We recommend co-designed set of national standards to establish universal expectations and relationship-building training for staff to prevent the escalation of complaints.

Refocusing EHCPs: To break the cycle of dependency, the system should implement cohort-based interventions for shared needs across a group of pupils with similar presenting needs. EHCPs should be reserved for pupils requiring complex multi-agency coordination, with simplified processes to ensure equitable access for all families.