SEND

Headteachers’ leaders call for an ‘escalation route’ when a school decides a pupil’s needs cannot be safely met by education staff alone

Extra time is the most popular access arrangement to help students sitting their GCSE, AS-level and A-level exams, but is it the most helpful? Ellen Peirson-Hagger weighs up the evidence and whether there are better options

Leaders constantly find themselves having to turn down requests – but there are ways to do this that reduce the likelihood of a breakdown in relationships, writes Nancy Gedge

Responding to the consultation on the government’s SEND reforms, organisations from the specialist sector raise concerns about financial support and a lack of ‘clarity’ in the plans

Headteacher of All Saints Catholic College in London was first seconded to the Department for Education last summer to bring ‘frontline expertise’ to policymaking

Lawyers, charities and school leaders voice fears about the impact of planned SEND reforms on schools’ relationships with parents and the volume of complaints

Tens of thousands of pupils are being removed from mainstream education through an increase in ‘informal practices’ such as off-rolling, Coram Children’s Legal Centre warns

ADHD is misunderstood and mischaracterised, and that’s creating significant challenges for those with the condition as well as those trying to support them, argues Professor Gaia Scerif

Pupils with SEND are being ‘clustered’ in a small number of schools that are strong on inclusion, creating unsustainable pressure and limiting others’ ability to build stronger practice, warns NFER research

Schools with a reputation for inclusion are becoming overstretched because they are supporting a disproportionate number of pupils with SEND, writes the lead researcher for a new NFER study

Shadow education secretary says the current alternative provision system is ‘patchy’ and the quality is ‘not good enough across the board’

Responding to the government’s consultation on its SEND reform plans, sector leaders also flag fears about funding and the workload implications