The Government has published it plans for reform for the education system in a White Paper – The Importance of Teaching (24 November), with a number of implications for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Teacher Training
- The White Paper highlights the importance of ensuring teachers are suitably trained and proposes that initial teacher training includes how to support children with SEN.
Bullying
- Bullying, particularly prejudiced based bullying, of which children with autism are often the target, will become a Government priority.
Exclusion policy and Independent Appeal Panels
- The importance of Independent Appeal Panels for exclusions is recognised. The White Paper also sets out plans to pilot a new approach to exclusions where a school is responsible for arranging and funding alternative provision for an excluded child. It is essential that alternative and appropriate provision is found for children with autism following exclusion – 27% of children with autism are excluded from school at least once, compared with 4% of other children (NAS).
Admissions and Local Authorities
- Local Authorities and the School Adjudicator will continue to have a role in ensuring the coordination of admissions arrangements and fairness, including for academies. The Government will also simplify the Admissions Code, but will continue to apply the principle of fair admissions for Looked After Children and pupils with a statement of SEN.
- Local Authorities will continue to have responsibility for disabled children and those with SEN. However, as funding is increasingly delegated to academies, they will move to a more strategic commissioning and oversight role. They will continue to fund provision for pupils with a statement of SEN.
- Where a Local Authority has significant concerns about an Academy or Free School in relation to these issues, it will be able to ask Ofsted to inspect the school.
Special School Academies
- The academies programme will be expanded to include special schools. The application process will open in January 2011 with the potential for special school academies to open from September 2011.
The Government is expected to publish a Green Paper in February 2011, which will provide detailed information on reforms to the education system for children with Special Educational Needs.
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