ASCL welcomes these reforms and their significant ambition for a fairer and more equitable system. ASCL also notes what has been achieved in building knowledge and shared understanding of the issues in the run up to publication of the schools white paper.

ASCL notes the significant change in the language of policy: more strengths based, more inclusive, more holistic, more focused on context rather than within child traits, and with a greater focus on barriers rather than diagnosis, including executive functions like processing and memory, and life-long challenges of language. This is a helpful shift towards a more enabled social model of disability.

At the same time, ASCL is clear that we must recognise that this is not a SEND crisis, it is an education crisis , and the reforms need to be taken in the context of our wider ambition for the purpose of education. It is essential to ensure education policies align with the equitable principles espoused in the white paper as this will be key to enabling change on the ground. 

National policies on curriculum, high stakes assessment, Progress 8, the recent post-16 white paper proposals and the proposed year 8 reading test all create perverse incentives for school and college leaders where they are penalised for any lower academic outcomes for some pupils with SEND. This cannot be addressed with reform of SEND in isolation.

Full response to consultation