SEND and the Curriculum and Assessment Review – messages of hope from the interim report

With the release of the Interim Report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review comes the question many teachers, leaders and others will be asking – ‘what does it mean for us and our pupils?’. For those thinking particularly about pupils with SEND, the way forward shows signs of promise, with much work still to do.

Where we are now – high standards, but not for everyone

Few can deny that we currently have a SEND crisis. Though this Review cannot address all of the challenges involved, many acknowledge that the crisis would be eased if every school felt able to deliver a curriculum, manage assessments and provide a qualifications offer that speaks to the pupils in front of them. Where the interim report states ‘young people with SEND make less progress than their peers’, you could take your pick of data points to validate this claim. It’s clear our education system can better serve pupils with SEND.

Good for all, particularly good for pupils with SEND

‘SEND’ is a broad and imperfect term. Yet the principles that support many pupils with SEND can often support all pupils – a broad, balanced and well-sequenced curriculum; a manageable assessment volume; content that prepares pupils for later life and work.

And likewise, the changes indicated by the report reflect changes that might be made for all, but that may disproportionately positively affect pupils with SEND:

• Re-evaluating subject and phase curricula so that teachers can spend longer consolidating content, an approach that supports mastery;
• Supporting schools to ensure they deliver a broad and balanced offer that includes vocational and arts subjects;
• Reimagining post-16 Maths and English delivery for pupils who didn’t get a Grade 4+ at GCSE in year 11, especially for those who achieved lower than Grade 3;
• Avoiding multiple Maths and English resits at 16-19;
• Considering opportunities to reduce the volume of assessment at KS4;
• Ensuring that all curricula that are coherently and logically sequenced, including across the transition from KS2-KS3;
• Supporting delivery of depth as well as breadth at KS1 and KS2.

Particularly relevant for SEND

Stakeholders in SEND may also point to other areas of the report that offer glimmers of hope. 

They might imagine a system in which young people with SEND see themselves more significantly represented in curriculum materials, ensuring a positive discourse around SEND and challenging ableist thinking.

They might imagine an education system that more clearly values the ‘applied knowledge and skills that will equip (pupils) for later life and work’, speaking to the excellent work already taking place in many settings to prepare pupils with SEND for independent, healthy adult lives ahead.

They might imagine an inclusive assessment system, which sets pupils up to show the best of what they know and what they can do.

The answers aren’t all there yet

As those reading the report will know, there is work still to do, and many complex challenges still to unpick:

• How to maintain the rigour of a national testing system, while also improving inclusivity for young people with higher levels of SEND;
• How to maintain the curriculum freedoms of the specialist sector, while also supporting high-quality curriculum development across the system;
• How to maintain high levels of curriculum ambition for pupils with SEND, including in regard to academic outcomes, while also offering a flexible offer that matches the interests, aspirations and strengths of all pupils.

There is much to continue exploring and learning, and the voices of many stakeholders will continue to be key to the next phase of this work. The opportunity to better serve our pupils with SEND is there for us to take; it’s an opportunity that must not be missed.

Gary Aubin is author of The Lone SENDCO and co-author of The Parent’s Guide to SEND.