NAHT issues warning over SEND ‘postcode lottery’ as families find out their secondary school places on national offer day
by Educate Magazine March 3, 2025 · All News / Education News
Today, Monday 3 March 2025, is National Offer Day, when families find out if they have secured their first choice of secondary school for their children.
While this can be an exciting time for many, unfortunately, many families will find themselves in a difficult situation where their children, who require additional support, are placed in mainstream schools that lack the resources to provide it.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “This can be an anxious time for families. Choosing the right school and securing a place there is a huge moment in a child’s life and not everyone will get their first choice.
On the impact of the shortage of specialist places on families, Jacqueline Bebbington, director of independent special school SENDSCOPE, Liverpool, commented: “In the current SEND climate, mainstream schools are seeing an increasing number of students with education health care plans (EHCPs) placed on roll. While staff in these schools work incredibly hard, they may not always have the specialist training or resources needed to fully support students with SEND, and developing this expertise takes time. The shortage of maintained specialist placements means many students are placed in settings that do not meet their needs, leading to distress, disengagement, and a negative experience of education.
“Independent specialist provisions help bridge this gap by offering immediate support from experienced staff who are specialists in their field. With maintained placements limited, these schools fulfil a crucial role that mainstream settings often cannot. Their support can re-engage students with education, reduce anxieties about attending school, and positively transform the lives of both students and their families.”
Jacqueline also spoke about the barriers that non-maintained specialist schools face when it comes to expanding provision to meet demand: “Expanding independent specialist provision comes with significant challenges. A key barrier is recruiting staff with the specialist skills needed to support students. The national SEND crisis has led to a 140% increase in EHCPs since 2014, yet the training of qualified staff has not kept pace.
Mr Ian Young, principal of Rainford High, said:
“The SEND system needs to be reevaluated and readdressed, but funding as always is only part of the challenge. We need to look to schools who embrace inclusion and are using appropriate levels of funding to meet the need of individuals as effectively as possible whilst also delivering best value.
“As a mainstream school, with 9.7% of our young people with EHCPs, we have developed different curriculum pathways that support a diverse range of young people with a range of significant needs that would see a number of them traditionally have attended special schools.
“I believe we need to celebrate the creative inclusive approaches schools are already taking and ensure we use this learning and great practice to inform how we rebuild the system for the future benefit of all young people.”
