‘Unsustainable pressure’: SEND survey results from the Catholic education sector

A new report from the CES has identified worsening delays and bureaucracy in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.  

Survey results from 427 Catholic schools and colleges across England and Wales show assessments for Educational, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).  

• 86 per cent of schools said delays in securing Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments had worsened in the past two years
• 62 per cent reported that local authority decisions “rarely” met the statutory 20-week completion timeframe
• 48 per cent noted that educational psychology assessments, which are essential for diagnosis, now take over six months on average to arrange

One headteacher said: “We are spending more time completing evidence for EHCP applications than we are delivering the interventions those plans are supposed to fund.”

• 72 per cent of respondents said they found it difficult or very difficult to recruit qualified SENDCos
• 67 per cent said that parents often turn to them for help in navigating the bureaucracy of SEND applications and appeals

The survey showed that 91 per cent of Catholic schools said SEND provision also placed “significant or unsustainable pressure” on their budgets.

• 43 per cent had reallocated funding from extracurricular activities to sustain core one-to-one support
• 27 per cent had drawn on parish or charitable donations to purchase assistive technology or specialist equipment

Another headteacher said: “By the time an EHCP has been granted and the funding agreed, the school has realistically spent ~ £10k because £6k has to be spent at the time of application and funding is not backdated to the panel date. There is a 2-3 month lag from the panel agreeing the EHCP can be granted and the funding starting but the school is still financing the support during this time.”  

Read the SEND survey report