‘My autistic son, 5, has been rejected from 15 special schools – they’re full’

A five-year-old autistic boy has been rejected from 15 schools so far this year amid a crisis in special educational needs provision in England, with shortages of places and staff.

Angie Matthias, 43, has been searching for a school for her son Drew, who is non-verbal and has complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

He has an education, health and care plan (EHCP) from Staffordshire County Council which says that he requires one-to-one support – but no local school has been able to give him a place.

The schools have rejected Drew on the basis that they lack the resources to meet his needs, as prescribed by the EHCP.

This means that Ms Matthias, a single mother, has to leave her 10-year salaried job in July when her son leaves nursery, to look after him full time.

Drew has been on the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) pathway since he was 20 months old and is also on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting list, with an appointment due in August. Ms Matthias adopted him when he was 15 months old.

It comes as a record 576,000 pupils have special needs support plans in England as of January 2024, an increase of 11.4 per cent compared to the previous year, according to figures from the Department for Education (DfE) released in June.

Local authorities issued 84,400 new EHCPs in 2023, a 26 per cent increase compared with 2022, DfE data show. The plans are statutory documents stipulating and guaranteeing the extra tax-payer funded support that such children and young people are entitled to.

The sharp increase in children requiring support has piled pressure on cash-strapped schools and councils, experts have said.

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The County Councils Network told i that councils in England’s counties are facing “extreme pressures” to deliver SEND services as demand has increased “inexorably” with no uplift in government funding.

A spokesperson said the system does not work “for local authorities and parents alike” and called on the next government to “set out comprehensive reform to the SEND system”.

They said: “There are many areas of reform, but any proposals should explore how to enable schools to increase their capacity and support to take on more SEND pupils, alongside the creation of a greater number of specialist school places in local areas.”

Sue Peacock, a consultant offering a support service to parents of SEND children, told i it is becoming “increasingly common for schools to reject pupils, largely on the basis they are full”.

“Many special schools are already over their allocated numbers and this can impact on the cohort where pupils require small classes and high adult-to-pupil ratios,” she said.

Ms Peacock said there are more children with identified SEND than there are school places. This is due to better identification of SEND, coupled with mainstream schools that are often unable to meet the needs of these pupils.

She said: “This impacts on attendance and leads to systemic generated trauma for such children from being expected to attend daily in a place that cannot meet their needs.

“The fallout is that children often then require special schools which can offer low arousal and low demand environments and where learning is differentiated for all so delivered as integrated rather than to ‘other’ the child.”

Ms Peacock said the situation will “continue to worsen” until there is “true inclusion in mainstream schools” coupled with new special schools to meet demand.

What have the political parties offered on SEND?

Labour

Labour has committed to “a community wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs”.

The party said it will “make sure admissions decisions account for the needs of communities and require all schools to co-operate with their local authority on school admissions, SEND inclusion, and place planning”.

Ms Peacock said this is “nothing more than has been the expectations of SEND legislation and practices since the Education Act 1996 and was further outlined in the 2014 reforms”.

She said: “If this has not been managed to date under both Labour and Tory governments, it is not clear how this will materialise moving forward. Inclusion has always been on the agenda, yet three decades later, has not been achieved.”

Conservatives

The Conservatives promise to “transform education for children with special educational needs, ending the postcode lottery of support by delivering 60,000 more school places and a further 15 new free schools for children with special educational needs”.

Ms Peacock welcomed the promise to “transform education” and said the promise of more schools and school places was “pleasing”.

However, she said this will only address the current issue of the shortfall in places and will “also require a significant amount of planning and funding with specialists and experts to advise and oversee the implementation of the new schools”.

Liberal Democrats

The Lib Dems indicate they would “give local authorities extra funding to reduce the amount schools pay towards the cost of a child’s Education, Health and Care Plan” as well as establishing a national body for SEND to “support children with very high needs”.

The manifesto also promises to put “specific emphasis on identifying and supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities in the new training programme for early years staff”.

Ms Peacock said the current legislation already highlights the importance of early intervention and said it is unclear who would be considered “very high needs” and what criteria would apply.

Green Party

The Greens have promised to “push for £5bn to be invested in special needs provision within mainstream schools” for fully accessible buildings, specially trained teachers, and free transport for 16-18-year-old pupils with SEND.

“Of all the parties, this does seem to address the issues of lack of inclusion,” Ms Peacock said.

She said transport for 16-18-year-olds is a matter which can and does lead to SEND pupils becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training).

However, she added that the post-16 options for SEND pupils are currently “very limited” and would need a “complete review and reconsideration as to what is appropriate”.

Government data show that around two in three special schools in England were at or over capacity in the past academic year, with approximately 4,000 more pupils on roll in special schools than the reported capacity.

Ms Matthias and her son Drew are victims of the severe shortages, with no school place available in September.

“We’ve had 15 SEND school rejections and they’ve all basically said ‘full’,” She told i. “One local one said it was full until 2026.”

She said that Staffordshire County Council attempted to force a nearby primary school to take Drew – but the school said it could not meet his needs.

“We’re just stuck in a position now,” Ms Matthias said.

She added: “I’m a single-parent family. I work currently, and I’m having to leave a 10-year salary job because come July, when he leaves nursery, I won’t be able to work because there’s no place for him.”

Drew is currently in a mainstream nursery, as well as a SEND provision once a week. Ms Matthias said he is coping “brilliantly” but fears he will lose progress if he cannot go to school in September.

“This is a crucial time,” she told i. “If he’s not in the right setting that is going to encourage him and help him thrive, it’s going to cost local authority a lot more when he’s an adult.”

A Staffordshire County Council spokesperson said: “Councils across the country have seen a significant increase in the number of children who have an Education Health and Care Plan and we continue to work hard to try to meet the needs of our children within the resources we have.

“Research by the County Council Network suggests that since 2019, the accumulated deficit in England for Special Educational Needs or Disabilities has reached £3.2bn.”