AoC responds to the National Audit Office's report on SEND provision

David Holloway, Senior Policy Manager SEND, Association of Colleges: “It’s good to see this report from the National Audit Office try to lay out the complexities and issues in SEND provision across all phases of education. However, talking of a “long-term plan for inclusivity across mainstream education” is simplistic when colleges are already highly inclusive. The SEND system currently does not meet the needs of all children and young people and cannot do so until the distinct character of post-16 provision is recognised.

“In AoC’s policy paper published in the summer, we set out the urgent changes we believe need to be made to ensure that students with SEND in colleges receive the funding, support and resource they need.

“In the short term, the government must also reform disadvantage funding to support long term capacity and growth, including a specific block for students who have SEND but do not have high needs.

“In the medium term, the government should introduce accountabilities to improve local authority place commissioning for students with EHCPs, ensuring timely and informed decisions leading to better transitions. And in the long-term, the provision for students with the most complex needs must be improved through better transitions to adult social care, better health inputs and a clearer status for specialist colleges.”