School leaders warn attainment focus undermines SEND reforms
The Association of School and College Leaders argues that high-stakes assessments create perverse incentives that penalise schools for supporting vulnerable students, risking the failure of proposed special educational needs and disabilities changes.
School leaders and unions in England have cautioned that the government’s proposed reforms to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision may be compromised by a policy framework that prioritises academic attainment. In a formal response to the schools white paper, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) argued that the emphasis on exam results creates perverse incentives, effectively penalising schools for lower outcomes among SEND pupils and conflicting with inclusion goals.
The union noted a critical inconsistency within the white paper, observing that while early chapters emphasise inclusion, the section on ambition omits SEND entirely, focusing instead on academic metrics. The ASCL stated that adherence to high-stakes assessments, including a proposed Year 8 reading test, places school leaders in an impossible position where they are disadvantaged for supporting vulnerable students. This approach, the union argued, cannot be rectified by SEND reform in isolation.
Margaret Mulholland, the ASCL’s SEND and inclusion specialist, warned that without adequate staffing, funding, and preparation time, the reforms risk damaging relationships with parents and leaving children without support. The union also raised concerns regarding the proposed requirement for mainstream schools to establish inclusion bases, noting a lack of operational detail. Mulholland cautioned that these bases must not become exclusionary holding pens or standalone units for children excluded for behavioural reasons.
Research from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has highlighted significant disparities in SEND pupil concentrations across mainstream schools, which could further hamper the reforms. The study found that the lowest fifth of schools averages 10 per cent SEND pupils, compared to 26 per cent in the highest fifth. The NFER attributed this gap to structural steering, where families are attracted to schools with strong reputations while others discourage SEND applications.
In response to these findings, the National Education Union called for stronger local authority-controlled admissions oversight to ensure fair and transparent placement decisions. Meanwhile, the Coram group of children’s charities warned that narrowing parents’ grounds for appeals to specialist SEND tribunals could increase litigation and tension, arguing that school complaints processes are not an adequate replacement for legally enforceable rights.