Significant Changes Planned for SEN Support in Northern Ireland
Major reforms are underway regarding the support provided to pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in Northern Ireland. With one in five pupils—over 70,000 children—having some form of SEN, these changes are expected to have a broad impact across the education system.
Some of these reforms have already begun but have generated controversy. Several Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) have supported calls from various unions and children's charities to pause the reforms. However, the Education Authority (EA) maintains that these changes will enable pupils with SEN to receive "earlier, more tailored support." Education Minister Paul Givan has stated that the reforms aim to ensure children and young people with SEN "receive the right support from the right people at the right time and in the right place."
What Are the Main SEN Reforms?
Multiple changes are being implemented in how support for children with SEN is delivered. The EA has detailed modifications to the classroom support system for pupils with SEN.
In a blog discussing the reforms, Dr Tomas Adell from the EA explained that the changes would provide schools with "more flexibility" and autonomy to determine the best methods to support children and young people with SEN within the classroom.
"The evidence does not support individual classroom assistant support as the best solution for every pupil with SEN,"
he said.
Concerns have been raised that these changes could increase pressure on school principals and teachers who serve as Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs). There are also worries that the reforms might lead to a reduction in the number of classroom assistants employed in schools.
Dr Adell, however, emphasized that the reforms "are not about reducing classroom assistant numbers or cutting spending."
A consultation on the proposed changes to classroom support is open until 22 May.
In recent years, both the Department of Education (DE) and the EA have attempted to address a shortage of school places by establishing more classes for pupils with SEN within mainstream schools. Despite these efforts, there have been repeated delays in providing school places for children with SEN.
Additional reforms include moving the statementing process for children online. A statement of SEN is a legal document that specifies the support a child should receive at school. Currently, over 34,000 pupils in Northern Ireland have a statement of SEN, representing an 85% increase over the past decade.
Other planned reforms aim to improve support and outcomes for pupils with SEN. The DE has indicated that the current system "does not adequately meet children's needs, contributes to poorer long-term outcomes, and is financially unsustainable," with the SEN budget projected to rise to approximately £1 billion by 2030.
Dr Adell reiterated that reform is not intended to reduce classroom assistant numbers or cut spending, though concerns remain that budget pressures may lead to cuts in services.
Why Is There a Call to Pause the SEN Changes?
A joint letter from the Children's Law Centre (CLC) and several other organisations expressed concern that the reform process "appears to be shifting disproportionate responsibility onto schools, many of which are struggling with workload pressures, have unsuitable environments and are managing the complex needs of children who are inappropriately placed."
"If this proceeds as currently indicated, the mistakes of the past will be repeated and potentially magnified,"
the letter stated. It called for the reforms to be paused to allow time for assessment of whether significant changes to the plans are necessary.
Rachel Hogan from the CLC told NI that a key concern is that a revised draft legal framework has only recently been released after many years of delay.
"Revised SEN Regulations and a Revised SEN Code of Practice are currently in the hands of the Education Committee,"
she said.
"Whilst we have been waiting over many years for these legal provisions to be shared with us, reforms which affect access to SEND services have been commenced without them,"
Hogan added.
"Bringing through fundamental changes in process which affect access to support for children, before the legal basis for these changes has been scrutinised and approved by the Assembly, is potentially unlawful."
The five main teaching unions have also voiced concerns about the SEN changes. Dr Graham Gault of the NAHT union stated that the issues raised by the Children's Law Centre were "of serious concern to the NAHT membership."
"While school leaders remain fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs, they must not be expected to absorb statutory responsibilities that properly sit with the Education Authority, nor to manage increased exposure to complaints and legal challenge without clear lawful authority, robust safeguards and guaranteed support,"
he said.
Some members of Stormont's Education Committee, including Chair Nick Mathison MLA and Vice-Chair Pat Sheehan MLA, have expressed support for reform but have called for a pause in the process.
In response, the EA stated that the joint letter "contains factual inaccuracies, and we would encourage CLC to engage constructively with us rather than making unfounded assertions that may cause concern to parents."
They added, "The planned reforms will be introduced gradually over a number of years and will be shaped throughout their implementation by children, parents and schools."
