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England's SEN system 'financially unsustainable and in urgent need of reform', finds spending watchdog

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England’s special educational needs (SEN) system is not delivering better outcomes for children and young people; is financially unsustainable and in urgent need of reform, according to a damning report by the independent public spending watchdog.
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The National Audit Office’s (NAO) Value for Money report examines Department for Education (DfE) expenditure on support for young people with special educational needs (SEN).

It recognises the importance of identifying children’s needs and supporting them as early as possible, particularly within early years.

In January, around 1.9 million children and young people up to the age of 25 in England were identified as having special educational needs. Of these, 1.7 million are at school.

The report reveals there has been no ‘consistent improvement’ in outcomes for children and young with SEN in the last five years. Also, without action, local authorities’ budgets will fall further into the red as Government funding isn’t enough to provide support for rising numbers of children with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCP).

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