Ofsted published its annual report yesterday. The report is presented to the government every year by His Majesty's Chief Inspector. It covers key themes such as early years childcare, further education, social care and SEND. The report discusses the challenges and problems that UK education and social care is facing, as well as providing commentary on policy changes for the year ahead.

What does the report say?

There are nearly 1.6 million pupils identified as SEND in UK schools. This is an increase of almost 77,000 from the year before. The number of pupils with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) has grown by 51% since 2014/15 and the number with SEN support has grown by 6% in the same period. Most SEND and autistic pupils are educated in Mainstream schools.

EHCP Delays

The report has demonstrated what parents have been telling us through our education rights helpline, it is too difficult to get an EHCP plan. In 2021, only 60% of EHCP plans were issued within the 20-week statutory limit. There is big regional variation to this number however, with 20 authorities issuing less than a third of plans within the 20 weeks. Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman points to the impact of the pandemic in causing these delays.

Attendance

The report shows that attendance is still a key issue impacting SEND students. The attendance of pupils with SEN has deteriorated since 2019, and had not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels by the autumn of 2021. A third of pupils with EHC plans missed 10% or more of their lessons in the autumn term last year. The report also shows that exclusion and suspension rates continue to be disproportionately higher in SEND students.

Workforce

Staff training, recruitment and retention are stated to be key problems facing the UK education system. Furthermore, the report argues that COVID-19 continues to create staff absences as well as recruitment issues. This has had a significant impact on SEND provision in mainstream and special schools, as it has become harder to recruit staff with SEND expertise.

New SEND inspection framework

Ofsted have announced, within the report, that they are launching a new SEND inspection framework. This is a result of stakeholder engagement, a series of pilot inspections and a public consultation. They hope that these inspections will gather more evidence on SEND provision, as well as further understanding of how local authorities oversee SEND services. The new framework will intend to improve accountability through a variety of measures such as introducing an expectation that all areas publish a strategic plan for SEND. This is a change that we welcome, and look forward to working with Ofsted to make this framework a success.

Our Concerns

We are concerned that delays in EHCP are still too long. In our School Report published in 2021, parents told us how difficult it was for them to get support. One in four said it took more than three years to get the right support. They often used language of the battlefield, saying they had to 'fight' and 'battle' to get the right support in place.

We are also concerned with some of the language in the report focusing on 'returning to pre-pandemic levels.' Problems with the SEND system existed long before the pandemic, and we need a properly funded education system so that no autistic children or young people are deprived of an education.

Tim Nicholls, Head of Influencing and Research at the National Autistic Society, said: “Today’s report is yet more evidence of what we already know - the education system simply isn’t working for many autistic children and young people. We’re especially concerned to see that delays in receiving the right support are particularly severe for autistic children.

“While the pandemic had a devastating impact on education for autistic children and young people, the problems with the SEND system existed long before then. To suggest a return to ‘pre-pandemic levels’ isn’t good enough. We need a properly funded system so that no autistic children or young people are deprived of an education.

“Schools and councils must work together to make sure they meet the education needs of all autistic children and young people, and Government must address problems with the education system in its SEND review. We won’t accept a world where so many autistic children are falling behind and so many families are left exhausted and on the edge of crisis.”

Further Information

• Read about the Government’s SEND review
• Read our School Report to find about the issues affecting autistic children in school
• Read our advice and guidance about education and getting the right support in schools.
• We have a number of specialist case work services to help those struggling to get the right education.