Amanda Wright is Head of Whole School SEND at the National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen). She has worked in education for over 20 years, with the latter half of her career dedicated to SEND. Sarah has developed practice both as a SENCo and senior leader in mainstream primary settings and at local authority level. She is committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
Understanding SEND in schools today
There are more than 1.6 million children in the UK identified as having a special educational need or disability. About a quarter of those children have education, health and care (EHC) plans in place. Increasingly hard to obtain, EHC plans have become the key to accessing what many see as a minimum level of funding and support. It’s clear that the system is no longer robust enough for the level of need. A multi-faceted approach is necessary to help all young people achieve their full potential – and equip teachers to deliver this.
In our seventh premium edition of Education Insights, our contributors approach the question of what’s to be done from different perspectives, and share expert analysis of the current challenges and opportunities. To set the context for this special issue, Amanda Wright talks about nasen’s work championing inclusive education and empowering educators to support children and young people with SEND.
Tell us a bit about nasen’s work.
nasen is a charitable membership body that supports those working with and for children and young people with SEND and learning differences. We do this by having an influential voice at the national level through our partner networks, developing useful resources and delivering effective CPD.
Achieving this vision requires a holistic and collaborative approach…
Our vision is that the educational experience for learners with SEND will be consistently as good as it is for learners without. nasen’s mission is to support and develop the education workforce so that they are fully equipped to meet the needs of all learners. We provide information, training and resources to develop the education workforce. We deliver CPD programmes, initiatives and services, and act as a champion, friend and protector of children and young people with SEND and all those who support them.
What policy, funding or related changes would you like to see in SEND?
The ‘SEND’ system as we know it could be much improved by reforms to our education system as a whole. We are unable to ‘fix’ the issues faced by many children, young people and families with SEND. We cannot achieve more inclusive mainstream education unless we change what is expected and how schools are held accountable.
Changes to curriculum and assessment systems should embrace a more holistic approach to education. The development of social, emotional and practical skills should be prioritised alongside academic knowledge, and vocational skills seen as equitable.
What do you see as key strategies to overhaul support for SEND?
Achieving the above vision requires an holistic and collaborative approach, with a focus in the following areas:
- Mandatory, ongoing SEND training: We would like to see all teachers have training on SEND, every year. Just as schools are required to complete safeguarding training annually, we advocate for the same level of priority to be given to training around special educational needs and inclusive practice. Our Young Person’s Advisory Group has identified this as a crucial factor in improving the educational experience and outcomes for learners with SEND. They emphasise the need for their teachers to have a greater understanding of how to remove the barriers to learning that exist in our classrooms today and to also recognise and build on the strengths and abilities of all of the children and young people that they teach. Their request is that teachers and school leaders ‘see the individual, not the disability.’
- Inclusive education vision: nasen advocates for a long-term strategy that promotes inclusivity within mainstream education settings. This involves creating an environment where all students, regardless of their needs, can thrive alongside their peers. Such an approach not only benefits students with SEND, but also enriches the educational experience for all learners.
- Shared prioritisation across sectors: A unified understanding of how to identify and support SEND is crucial. nasen calls for collaboration across various sectors, including health services, to ensure that the needs of children and young people with SEND are consistently prioritised. This collaborative approach aims to provide holistic support, addressing educational, health, and social needs in a coordinated manner.
- Early intervention and support: Implementing early intervention strategies is essential to address SEND needs promptly and effectively. nasen supports initiatives that focus on identifying and supporting children with SEND at the earliest stages, which can lead to better long-term outcomes and reduce the need for more intensive interventions later.
- Capacity building in mainstream schools: Enhancing the capacity of mainstream schools to support students with SEND is a critical component of SEND reform. nasen emphasises the need for professional development and resources to equip educators with the skills and knowledge required to effectively teach and support students with diverse needs. This approach aims to reduce reliance on specialised settings by making mainstream education more accessible and supportive for all students.
What kinds of support do you provide to education professionals around inclusion in mainstream schools?
My role is to lead the Whole School SEND team who deliver the DfE-funded SEND CPD programme – Universal SEND Services. We work collaboratively with partner organisations, a Young Person’s Advisory Group and a team of regional SEND leads. Our regional leads are based in education settings and are seconded to work with our team one day a week. This enables our offer to be sector-led and adaptive to regional contextual differences.
The programme is funded by the DfE, so it’s free to access for all schools and colleges – every teacher in the country is entitled to this training.
The Universal SEND Services programme offers a range of CPD activities and opportunities for the whole education workforce. We recognise how busy our education workforce is, so we offer a variety of formats. These range from 30-minute online CPD units to bespoke, SEND-focussed school improvement projects with our regional leads. The programme is funded by the DfE, so it’s free to access for all schools and colleges. Every teacher in the country is entitled to this training. We want to continue promoting the offer so that every setting in England knows where they can access this high-quality support.
What are your current priorities and future plans for your work in schools and with educators?
Changes to curriculum and assessment systems should embrace a more holistic approach to education, where the development of social, emotional and practical life skills is prioritised alongside academic knowledge…
An external evaluation is currently being conducted on the impact of the Universal SEND Services programme. Of course, we also have our own evaluation systems in place, including gathering evidence of changes to practice. Feedback is consistently very strong and participants tell us that the changes they make as a result of accessing the programme lead to more inclusive cultures and practice, including earlier and more accurate identification of SEND, improved parental and learner engagement, and improved attendance for learners with SEND.
We know that seeing examples of ‘how to do it’ really helps to contextualise learning and over the three years of the programme we have collected numerous examples of how to put the theory into practice. We plan to showcase these good practice examples through our future live CPD events and by developing an area of our website.
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