Too many families have to fight when their children have Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND). They have to battle a system that seems not to have been built with their children in mind.
These fights take many forms. They might be about reasonable adjustment, about EHC Needs Assessments, about diagnostic assessment, about school placements.
And the consequences can be stark – needs not being met, progress faltering, engagement with education dropping, self-esteem decreasing.
The system – of education, let alone SEND – needs change. No parent needs me to tell them that. And many of these changes lie far outside of the scope of the review I’ve got the privilege to be involved in. Yet there is space and hope for change.
The Curriculum and Assessment Review
I am honoured to be on the panel for the Curriculum and Assessment Review. Our aim is to refresh the curriculum and assessment methods in England for 5- to 19-year-olds to make sure they meet the needs of every child and young person including those with SEND. For details on the reviews scope and focus please read The Education Hub – What is the Curriculum and Assessment Review and how will it impact my child’s education?
Covering curriculum, assessment, and the accountability measures by which schools are ranked, the review will produce key recommendations for the government. It is important that these recommendations keep the impact on pupils with SEND at its heart.
But in order to have the right impact, the voices of families and young people need to be heard. This is true universally, but perhaps it is especially true of those with SEND experience, many of whom feel so badly let down by our current system of education.
So, please, take the time if you are able to complete the call for evidence before 22nd November.
The potential for change
Though there are no easy solutions, it’s clear how improvements to curriculum and assessment might support many pupils with SEND.
A child with SEND may find it easier to manage the demands of school, where the curriculum is taught at a pace they can keep up.
A child with SEND may find it easier to manage the demands of school, where the curriculum feels relevant to the world around them and supports them through their transition to adult life.
A child with SEND may well find it easier to manage the demands of school, when assessments feel manageable and appropriate for them, and are inclusive in nature.
But in order to make recommendations that will help a child with SEND find it easier to manage the demands of school we need to hear your thoughts and views and your child’s experiences.
How to take part
You can take part and help your child take part or record your child’s views on their behalf through our call for evidence by:
Completing the online survey
Downloading our easy read form (PDF)
We’d suggest using a copy of the PDF to help guide you through the online form. It features clear definitions and simplified questions so you can complete the sections most relevant to you.
It’s a lengthy document, but you need only complete questions you have an opinion on. Responding to even one question helps to shape the collective feedback, so that the panel fully understand the change that people are calling for.
Questions specifically focusing on the experience of those with protected characteristics, such as SEND are 6, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 22, 24, 33, 35 and 36.
Questions on primary school are 4-14.
Questions on secondary school are 15-30.
Questions on college and 16-19 education are 31-43.
Questions drawing out how the curriculum and assessment system prepare young people for adult life are 25, 26 29, 40, 42 and 43.
When thinking about your and your child’s experiences, please try to give specific examples and as much detail as you’re happy to provide, to help the panel truly understand what is working well, where improvements are needed and what new approaches might be possible.
Making changes to curriculum, assessment and accountability measures will not bring all the changes needed for our pupils with SEND. But it is an important opportunity to redress the balance. To make the changes needed to support pupils with SEND to succeed because of – and not in spite of – the education system around them.
Gary Aubin is an independent SEND Consultant working with Whole Education. His second book, The Parent’s Guide to SEND, is out early in 2025.
SEND Matters 