All teachers should be trained on special educational needs to end ‘postcode lottery’ – report

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has found gaps in teacher training means
many children who should be identified as having special educational needs and
disabilities are being missed.

By Anjum Peerbacos, education reporter

Tuesday 11 February 2025 05:47, UK

Teachers should receive compulsory training on child development and special
educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to tackle widespread inconsistencies
in support, a new report has urged.

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has found evidence of a “SEND lottery” in
schools across England, with major disparities in how children with SEND are
identified and supported.

The report states that gaps in teacher training, fragmented school systems, and
language barriers mean many children are being missed.

Researchers analysed data from primary and secondary schools to uncover which
children were most at risk of slipping through the cracks.

The findings reveal that:
• Pupils attending academies, or living in highly academised areas, are less
likely to be identified as having SEND
• Children who move schools frequently or have high absence rates are less
likely to receive a SEND diagnosis
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language also face reduced chances
of being recognised as having SEND

Jo Hutchinson, director for SEND and additional needs at the EPI, said: “Our
research has confirmed the long-suspected SEND lottery in schools.

“Children who are frequently absent, move schools, or live in heavily academised
areas are at an elevated risk of missing out on vital support.”

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The report also highlights that girls with emotional disorders and children from
disadvantaged backgrounds in high-deprivation areas are at risk of being
overlooked.

The EPI is calling for teacher training on SEND and child development to be made
obligatory in initial teacher training, early career development, and ongoing
professional development.

Researchers say improved training would help reduce the huge variation in how
schools identify, and support SEND students.

They are also urging further investigation into inconsistencies in SEND
assessments across schools.

Arooj Shah, chair of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) children and young
people board, is calling for reforms.

“It is vital that the government sets out its plans for reforming the SEND
system in the upcoming spending review,” she said.

Read more:
SEND children ‘segregated and left to struggle’
[https://news.sky.com/story/special-educational-needs-children-segregated-and-left-to-struggle-in-wrong-schools-to-save-money-13277139]
Parents of pupils with additional needs turn to unregulated education
[https://news.sky.com/story/theres-no-school-for-my-child-parents-of-pupils-with-additional-needs-turn-to-unregulated-education-13067361]
School budgets squeezed by ‘spiralling costs’ of SEND provision
[https://news.sky.com/story/school-budgets-squeezed-by-spiralling-costs-of-special-educational-needs-provision-13285347]

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Ms Shah added that boosting inclusion in mainstream schools should be a key
priority, along with ensuring that schools, early years settings, and colleges
have the capacity and expertise to support SEND children.

The LGA is also calling for a new national SEND framework and the creation of
Local Inclusion Partnerships to improve coordination between schools, councils,
and healthcare providers.

With thousands of children missing out on vital support, campaigners say it is
time for action.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “That
there is clear evidence of a postcode lottery in SEND support is no surprise to
us.

“For some years it has been clear that where many academy schools were refusing
admissions of SEND students and suggesting ‘needs could be met better
elsewhere’.

“The choice of school and educational opportunity for these students was being
denied. It is good to see this being highlighted and we want to see the
government urgently looking into the reasons why.”