Provisional local govt financial settlement & DSG/SEND deficits: £3.8bn now, est £14bn in 2028 “We will provide further detail on our plans to support local authorities with historic & accruing [DSG] deficits & conditions for accessing such [unspecified] support later in the Settlement process.”

On SNJ Today: @captaink77.bsky.social crunched numbers on the DfE's £3 billion #SEND funding extravaganza. Is it new money? And how you can set them against the 5 reform principles to ask the right questions in the "National SEND Conversation": www.specialneedsjungle.com/g... #SEND #Disability #SENDSky

This looks like a continuation of a SEND capital grant pipeline (HNPCA) that's been in operation since 2021. If so, it's being funded at a slightly lower rate in real terms than the previous government did under the 2021 Spending Review

Running the numbers, looks like ~2,500 planned special school places have definitely been axed, with a further ~6,900 places subject to an undefined CeX-style trade-in

‘Purple Hayes’ was right there

Two things from the DfE SEND 'conversation' docs: - The 'conversation' will be about five single-word principles, & ideas raised by stakeholders - not the Department's own specific proposals - In a novel take on the word 'conversation,' the DfE may use AI to parse written responses from families

NEW POST: In an SNJ exclusive, @rachel.stopsafetyvalve.uk highlights how ADHD and Autism “Right to Choose” assessments have been paused in at least nine NHS areas, as ICBs tell their contracted private providers to stop offering new appointments www.specialneedsjungle.com/a...

This article's a mess - largely because comms around the funding change has been a mess Allocation of the educational component of SEND funding is the ultimate responsibility of the DfE, and always has been Thread (apologies in advance for the 'stop getting Bond wrong!' energy)

Yeah, they're fucked. Proportionately, BCP has a bigger DSG deficit than anyone other LA in England, by miles But these guys seem to have fucked up in a uniquely bad way, in comparison to close statistical neighbours: BCP is under a DfE statutory direction to improve its SEND services

At most, 1.4% of pupils in mainstream independent schools have an EHCP Pupils from mainstream independent schools make up 1% of local authority EHCP caseloads These percentages have not changed in years

🚨 Exclusive: A damning inquiry will reveal tomorrow how NHS leaders ignored warnings over unsafe hearing tests 12 years ago leaving 300 children permanently disabled. @camillakingdon.bsky.social labels it a "disaster" and calls for a change in leadership: www.thetimes.com/article/2f23...

Public service announcement: if you're working in state schools or the public sector and you want sight of the data behind this article, hit me up (DM here, or email on the @spcialndsjungle.bsky.social site) Thread in graphs below

NEW POST: @captaink77.bsky.social gives a stark warning that reforms for #SEND funding reforms will be immensely painful—but the current situation is chaotic and sinking fast. www.specialneedsjungle.com/s... #SEND#SENDsky

One factor also driving up transport costs is the location of Special schools in areas of low population density via the Free Schools model. Pragmatic decisions on capital investment have, in some cases, locked in high levels of transport cost. We need a better, joined up, strategy re. place growth.

NEW POST: @catrionamoore.bsky.social dissects a new report from the @nao.org.uk that tells the Government to improve its data on schools and SEND transport—and ensure any coming changes don't make it harder for disabled children to attend: www.specialneedsjungle.com/n...

Disabled children are having to wait for nearly four months to receive benefit payments due to government delays, with hardly any applications being processed on time according to the latest figures. By me, for the Big Issue: www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

The myth of the powerful parent, and what powerlessness really feels like; open.substack.com/pub/johnsonp... #EduSky #SEND #ThisIsAP

NEW: Fears over upcoming SEND reforms have led more parents to request formal support for their children, according to reports from councils The rise came after a govt adviser suggested that rights to SEND support could be curtailed By me, for Politics Home www.politicshome.com/news/article...

NEW POST: Independent public accountability initiative, Measure What Matters writes an excoriating, evidence-backed article that the law on #SEND isn’t failing, it’s been systematically undermined from within. Please consider sharing with your MP: www.specialneedsjungle.com/l...

“We need to take the time to get [SEND reform] right and to ensure we are designing a system which is protected against unintended consequences.” Minister of State for Children & Families, July 2021

At least 50,000 disabled people could lose access to financial employment support if the government goes ahead with plans to scrap the WCA benefit assessment, according to a new report from Citizens Advice The true figure is likely to be higher By me, for Big Issue www.bigissue.com/news/employm...

They should learn, but the siren call of AI will be strong here Consultation will probably end up as a couple of hand-picked focus groups, with written responses fed into an off-the-shelf LLM and a sentiment analysis tool

On SNJ Today: The Education Committee's SEND Inquiry report tells the Government to boost inclusion—after deciding what it is—but leave legal rights alone. Pt 1 of our analysis is from @captaink77.bsky.social @catrionamoore.bsky.social & pix by @tanialt.bsky.social www.specialneedsjungle.com/s...

NEW POST: In a massive week for SEND, the Education Committee's "Solving the SEND Crisis" report tells the DfE: strengthen inclusion—but don’t dilute SEND legal rights. Here's part one of our analysis, courtesy of @captaink77.bsky.social & @catrionamoore.bsky.social www.specialneedsjungle.com/s...

This form of words first emerged from DfE in mid-July; it's a slight dilution on an previous line, and obviously it's not a pledge to maintain children's current legal rights

This former DfE senior civil servant held the SEND policy brief in 2022-23 The controversial £19.5m contract was Delivering Better Value in SEND, signed in June 2022 with Newton Europe: the DfE SEND team were the key customer for their work Newton Europe now have a new ACOBA-cleared senior adviser

TLDR for today's post: yes, this can be a good thing, but like any tool it depends on the end-user's objectives, standards, & how they exploit the savings (but read the article, you sluggards)

SEND reformers are looking hard at Ontario as an alternative model for special education - this is how it works on the ground, as well as in theory

When Georgia Gould was leader of Camden, the LA used a notoriously brutal outfit to defend its SEND Tribunal appeals, Baker Small Legal Services During Gould's tenure, Camden paid Baker Small over £1.2m, according to the council's own payments data

NEW EXCLUSIVE: The DfE has ditched plans for digital, standardised EHCPs. We ask why it would scrap such an easy win—is it a sign Labour is aiming to kill off statutory SEND provision completely? www.specialneedsjungle.com/d...

They're toast. Official line will still be 'no decisions made', but next step will be a DfE tendering notice for Ghanian dancing pallbearers, a 10-foot floral arrangement that they'll spell "ECHP", and a post-event posting contract with Wayne Rooney

There is only one Destination X, it's in the August 1986 issue of @vizcomic.bsky.social , and The Bottom Inspectors run a correction centre there www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

The DfE has just started publishing data on EHCP annual reviews, and their numbers strongly indicate that this story is tip-of-the-iceberg stuff 🧵

This is such a badly framed and articulated risk (from DfE annual report, issued today) How likely are council insolvencies, and by when? What's the impact on DfE objectives of the risk being realised? What's the impact on kids, families, schools & colleges? Doesn't say. Just word salad

This mainstream SEN resourced provision looks and sounds great. But one thing that the article didn't cover is how much well-appointed provision like this costs The answer (per place) is "slightly more than the average special school" If it does 'embody Labour's hopes for SEND,' it ain't cheap

If these follow the current deployment model, then per place capital costs aren’t much cheaper than state special… …and right now, for every 3 new mainstream SEN units that are opening, 2 older units are closing They’ll struggle to scale this up - unless, of course, it’s Potemkin provision

Students in exam years are missing coursework, dropping subjects and facing disruption due to changes in their care placements A third of children in care in years 10 to 13 had to move home in 2023-24, with more than 10% having to move school or college By me: schoolsweek.co.uk/childrens-so...

You design a policy to reconcile two things One of those things (outcomes) is almost completely undefined by your policy The other thing (£ envelope) is already tightly defined before reform begins It’s really not hard to predict what’s going to give way, or be euphemismised into meaninglessness

NEW POST: After the excitement of hitting 100K signatures, today we examine Spending Review education cash. It was revealed SEND plans will now come in a wider Schools White Paper this autumn. @tanialt.bsky.social and @captaink77.bsky.social share some thoughts www.specialneedsjungle.com/p...

1. A story. Please read. Reposts hugely appreciated on this. You'll see why in a bit. I was born in Pakistan and lived there until I was 4. My parents worked there as doctors. While we were there we were very close to a couple called Christine and Mike Miles.

What does £4.5 billion extra for schools in England mean? My guess is that this is a real-terms freeze in the core schools budget plus some extra money for free school meals This thread explains why 🧵[1/6] observer.co.uk/news/nationa... @theifs.bsky.social @nuffieldfoundation.org

The Standard jumping on the stupidity bandwagon. www.standard.co.uk/news/london/... Any child with a clinical need for OT can access it via the NHS. What a private, non-state-funded pupil cannot do, is access OT (or PT/SLT) as statutory educational provision, as a child can whose EHCP specifies it.

New: Has there really been an exodus of pupils from independent schools? ffteducationdatalab.org.uk/2025/06/has-...

Really good article, this

Proper inside-the-sausage-factory stuff, this - well worth your time (if you’re not a subscriber, you can get a free trial & you’ll probably end up sticking around for more)

They're being touted as the bedrock of the new SEND system to come... ...but for every three new mainstream SEN units and resource bases that open, two older ones are closing Why? 🧵 www.specialneedsjungle.com/vanishing-re... 1/