Matt Keer

@captaink77.bsky.social

628 Followers 237 Following

Mostly SEND, mostly for @spcialndsjungle.bsky.social

Leadership The government has appointed Professor Peter Fonagy to chair this review, supported by Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird as vice-chairs and an advisory working group of cross-system leadership and experience. The chair has overall responsibility for the review and its outputs.
Extract from a Department for Education benchmarking tool sent to local authorities in early 2026 8. Other Funding. B) Capital Strategy includes little to no plans to increase special school or AP capacity; any minimal plans are accompanied by a compelling rationale as to why need cannot be met in specialist bases
Excerpt from a press release from legal firm Browne Jacobson Given that more than 60% of SEND appeals last year at least partly related to placement, this is a significant change to the existing legal rights that parents have. As a result, they may seek to make further complaints and claims to schools, in relation to their SEND provision, under the Equality Act 2010 instead. “The eye of the storm on SEND disputes therefore looks set to move from local authorities to schools.”
Story 1 by Max Kendix of The Times, tweet posted at 14:35 on Friday 20 February Councils forced to spend £20k a year for a single child to receive horse therapy to help with special educational needs EHCPs used for therapy alpacas, dogs, angling, and aerial arts. Costs of horse-related spending alone is £1.9m across 22 councils this year, for 119 cases
Inclusive Mainstream Fund E1.6bn 2026-2029 Broad inclusive provision funding Experts at Hand E1.8bn 2026-2029 LA-commissioned specialist support services (eg EP, SALT, OT) Best Start Family Hubs (SEND Offer) £200m Unclear Equip hubs with SEND support / outreach offer Teacher Training for SEND £200m 2026-2029 Training course across multiple stas of SEND for all teaching High Needs Provisional Capital Allocation £3.74bn 2025-2030 SEND capital funding (infrastructure, buildings) to create around 60,000 "specialist places," plus "inclusion bases" for all secondary schools
Excerpt from Observer article Whitehall sources stressed that the Send reforms would be phased in slowly and that the initial priority would be to improve facilities and support in mainstream schools. “It’s not at this stage about taking anything away from anybody,” one official said. “Every child who is in a special school will stay there and every child with a plan will keep it.”
Photo of the outside of a building, with a sign reading “GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM”
Screengrab from TV comedy show The Thick of It, where Tory minister Peter Mannion says 'Farewell, our shit and useless servant'
Extract from local government financial settlement 2. Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND): Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Deficits 2.1.1 The government is committed to supporting local authorities with their DSG deficits as we transition to a reformed SEND system. We will introduce support for local authorities in phases. The first phase will address historic deficits accrued up to the end of 2025‑26. All local authorities with a SEND deficit will be eligible in 2026-27 to receive a High Needs Stability Grant covering 90% of their High Needs-related DSG deficit accrued up to the end of 2025- 26. 2.1.2 We will confirm the detail on further support for deficits arising in 2026‑27 and 2027‑28 before the accounting override set out in Regulation 30L of The Local Authorities (Capital Finance and Accounting) (England) Regulations 2003 (“the Statutory Override”) ends from 1 April 2028. From 2028-29, SEND spending will be covered by the overall government DEL budget, meaning local authorities are not expected to fund future SEND costs from general funds, once the Statutory Override ends at the end of 2027-28
The Department of Health and Social Care is involved in parts of special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision, although the plans have been led and documents written almost entirely within the Department for Education.
Creating a single national system that has high aspirations and ambitions for children and young people with SEND and those in alternative provision, which is financially sustainable, is not a straightforward task. However, the reward for getting this right is huge: children and young people supported to succeed and thrive for generations to come. We are committed to continuing to listen to children, young people, parents, carers, and those who advocate for and work with them, as well as system leaders, to achieve this ambition. We encourage you to reflect on the proposals set out in this green paper and respond to our consultation. Together, we can ensure every child and young person with SEND, and all those in alternative provision, can thrive and be well prepared for adult life. Nadhim Zahawi Sajid Javid Secretary of State for Education Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Photo of the back of my eldest kid’s head on his masters’ graduation day. He’s profoundly deaf. His graduation robes are visible, as is his cochlear implant
A man, wearing black clothes and sunglasses, stood on a pavement as people pass by. The man is holding up a hand-written cardboard sign, which says ‘we need better psyops’
Still from HBO series Chernobyl, where engineers Akimov and Toptunov stare open-mouthed at the display in the control room of Unit 4, post-explosion Both subsequently die from acute radiation syndrome
Album cover by French grindcore band Anal Chaos. The album is called ‘An Evening with Anal Chaos’ The four band members are in 1970s lounge suits, standing awkwardly on a stage. The three men are wearing white suits with red shirts, the woman is wearing a red suit with a white shirt.
TV screen grab from the pandemic period. Then-US President Joe Biden is speaking at a lectern, the subtitles say I HAVE ORDERED MORE PILLS THAN ANYONE IN THE WORLD HAS
Front of an evangelical church, displaying a large sign in white lettering on a blue background: JESUS CHRIST THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER
Policy makers should consider how to increase capacity in mainstream schools so that they can better support all pupils. This could be for example effective partnership working with other services or supporting schools to introduce SEND Hubs with ongoing support to implement them effectively.
Why are we engaging? We want to have an open conversation on points and ideas organisations have raised to help inform how we shape the policy in the White Paper. This is not a formal consultation. A public consultation on some aspects of our SEND plans will be launched alongside publication of the Schools White Paper. To help process and analyse responses efficiently, we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to identify themes, trends, and patterns in the comments received. All AI generated outputs will be reviewed and validated by experienced analysts to ensure accuracy and context. AI will not make decisions or recommendations. Its role is purely to support human-led analysis.
Local Government Association press release: Responding to the Government saying it will fund the full cost of SEND provision from within central government departmental spending from 2028/29, Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children, Young People and Families Committee, said: “While it is positive government has committed to absorbing the costs of SEND spending from 2028/29 – and we look forward to clarity on how this will be funded – this does not address existing deficits, which are pushing many councils to the financial brink. “In the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, we urge the Government to write off these deficits - both the current accumulated deficits and any future deficits expected up to and including 2028/29 - and to fully fund all associated costs such as home to school transport over this period, ahead of setting out wider, comprehensive reform of the SEND system in the Schools White Paper.”
Extension of the Dedicated Schools Grant Statutory Override – The government will set out substantial plans for reform of special educational needs provision early in the new year to deliver a sustainable system which – first and foremost – supports children and families effectively. The 2025 Spending Review provided investment for SEND reform. Future funding implications will be managed within the overall government DEL envelope, such that the government would not expect local authorities to need to fund future special educational needs costs from general funds, once the Statutory Override ends at the end of 2027-28. The government will set out further details on its plans to support local authorities with historic and accruing deficits and conditions for accessing such support through the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.
The government will take over full responsibility for special educational needs spending from local councils, it was revealed at the budget, prompting warnings that the Department for Education could be facing a £20bn timebomb in two years. The Office for Budget Responsibility said the annual costs of special educational needs and disability (Send) spending in England would reach £6bn a year by 2028, increasing the urgency of a potentially decisive overhaul of Send provision in a schools white paper expected early next year.
A high-mid-low stock chart, but showing 100 mainstream high-needs SEND funding allocation systems. Too complex to explain, and no point trying - it's complete chaos
Bar graph showing median changes to local authority high needs banding values from April 2023 to March 2026. The graph also shows a line marking inflation over this period (10.2%) 106 of 110 local authorities made real-term cuts to their high needs banding values - mostly by keeping band values unchanged, or by making tiny increase to them
Bar graph showing breakdown of the Dedicated Schools Grant, which is made up of 4 blocks Schools Block (blue bar) - £48.7 billion - 71% of the DSG - some of it is used to fund mainstream SEND provision High Needs Block (red bar) - £11.2 billion - 16% of the DSG - almost all of it used to fund mainstream and specialist SEND provision Early Years Block (pink bar) - £8.4 billion - 12% of the DSG - some used to fund SEND provision in early years
A Labour source said: "This government has grasped the nettle on Send in a way in which no other party has had the courage to do, and we will make no apology in taking the time to get this right - and we will.
Lenehan said: “Government is taking a while, probably longer than you hoped, to get its plans right. And in the midst of that, there’s a lot of planning, a lot of thinking, a lot of testing, does this work, does that work with what we’re trying to do?” But she said it has caused a “vacuum of information”, which means “at least two thirds of the stuff that I read is not true”. Lenehan had previously told Schools Week that officials are considering a shake up of the education, health and care plan system that would likely lead to a narrowing or new structure of support as part of reforms.
Photo, taken outdoors in an urban environment, probably in a crowd, probably during a protest A young man wearing a black top and sunglasses holds a hand-written sign aloft The sign says ‘we deserve better psyops’
2016 photo of a booze section in Waitrose, a high-end English supermarket. The photo shows a card that describes Carlsberg Special Brew, a notoriously strong and rough lager that’s stereotypically drunk only by alcoholics The card says ‘Stronger lager with cognac flavour. Full bodied, fruity tasting with a good clean bitterness’
“We will look at this issue in the round and make sure that there’s adequate food supplies,” Raab told the Brexit select committee. “It would be wrong to describe it as the government doing the stockpiling … of course the idea that we only get food imports into this country from one continent is not appropriate.”
Resignation letter from Catherine McKinnell, key text: “…whilst I was honoured to be offered a role to remain in Government, I have made the decision to resign during this reshuffle”
Six panels from the August 1986 edition of Viz magazine Panel 1 - "DESTINATION X" Panel 2 - inside of an old-fashioned train carriage compartment. A family chat: "The countryside is so beautiful, isn't it love?" "Yes dear, it's so good to be away from the big city, all the noise and dirt!" Panel 3: Mum talking to son "I feel like nothing can go wrong on a day like today!" "Mummy! The train's slowing down!" Panel 4: Close-up on dad, saying "Funny, there isn't a station in sight and we seem to be stopping!" Panel 5: Outside and in front of the train: we see the back of a uniformed officer, shouting "HALT! HALT! Stop the Train" - "All right men..." Panel 6: All four Bottom Inspectors in close-up, cackling evilly: - "Prepare for Bottzkrieg - all out BOTTOM INSPECTION!" "Yes, Bottomdant Leyburn, heh heh" "Ho ho ho" "Ha Ha"
Several risks identified in last year’s ARA (local authority financial challenges, social worker capacity and looked after children placement market failure) are now managed at a lower level following a reassessment of their risk ratings. While the risks are still present, they are no longer considered principal risks so cease to be disclosed here. This year, five principal risks or issues are reported against six last year. Ratings for schools and further education workforce, education estates and cyber security remain stable and unchanged from March 2024. High needs cost pressures have worsened and materialised into an issue. The risk of higher education financial failure is a new principal risk, escalated to the top-tier this year.
Risk 2 – High needs cost pressures Business group owner - Schools Group Risk profile across the year - Worsening Risk description - There is a risk that, despite substantial real terms increases in high needs funding, high needs cost pressures continue to increase which could result in some local authorities becoming insolvent, citing SEND pressure as a contributing factor. Children, young people and their families continue to face a SEND system that does not meet their needs and for which cost pressures to the high needs budget increase further, contributing to local authorities’ financial issues. The government has announced some immediate measures to improve the SEND system as well as committed to broader reforms.
The ballooning number of EHCPs has also created a financial timebomb for councils. Most funding for special educational needs (SEN) provision comes via local authority high-needs budgets but those have been in deficit for years, with the combined shortfall estimated to now be £5bn. The only thing keeping more councils from outright insolvency has been the government allowing them to keep these deficits off their balance sheets. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has repeatedly said the government needs to “think differently” about special needs provision. Exactly what Phillipson means is not yet clear. The details are still being thrashed out in Whitehall, with the Treasury taking a close interest in the cost implications, and the Department for Education (DfE) struggling internally to develop coherent policy after years of neglect. It seems likely that EHCPs will not survive in their current form, with existing plans phased out over two or more years. Ministers and officials argue that a better solution is for mainstream state schools to educate more children with special needs. That is where All Saints’ Bethlehem unit comes in.
An office ink stamp, positioned diagonally on a desk, with the word INSHALLAH written on the top
Photo of ex-football player Roy Keane in a TV studio - clean-shaven, wearing a suit, with a look on his face that’s 50% bafflement, 50% contempt
Graph from FFT Education Datalab story, showing a sharp rise in mainstream resource provision for autistic pupils, and a fall for many other types of need
Text from an article in The Times newspaper today, headline "Ministers will rein in special-needs plans to cut back on costs" Hundreds of thousands of children with special needs face losing the right to extra support in schools under plans being considered by ministers
Graph showing 119 of 125 LAs making real terms cuts to high needs top up funding, 2021-23
Ms Sandy, who is executive director of children's services at Lincolnshire County Council and a member of the DfE's advisory-group on inclusion, said: "I don't believe it is right that as a local authority I am responsible for writing a plan for the education of a child I've never met to be delivered in a school I have never worked by people whose skills I don't know. "I think we need to wonder why we've got all that resource and capacity sat at a local authority level and not sat within schools."
I spend around a third of my constituency surgeries helping parents dealing with SEND and EHCP cases and on many occasions I have been able to find solutions to these cases by contacting Surrey County Council. I was therefore disappointed to receive an email from SCC which appeared to close down avenues for Surrey MPs to raise their constituents' cases with the council. I know from my time as SEND Minister and my time working with parents of SEND children that the EHCP process can be extremely difficult to navigate. It is my role as your MP to hold these bodies to account and represent you when their services are simply not working as they should be. My fellow Conservative Surrey MPs and I have written to SCC to seek clarification on this matter and make sure that we can continue to push for improvements on behalf of our constituents. Please see our full letter below.
Inclusive providers are at the heart of their communities. They have high expectations and aspirations for every child and learner. They are particularly alert to the needs of those who need the most support to achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Bar graph showing the size of SEND capital grants from 2018 to 2026 2018 - £72m 2019 - £222m 2020 - £72m 2021 - £300m 2022 - £1198m 2023 - £954m 2024 - £289m 2025 - £740m
Graph showing the Department for Education's forecast high-needs costs versus high-needs allocations. I'm estimating the following: Financial year 2024-25 - allocation £10.7 billion, costs £12.5 billion Financial year 2025-26 - allocation £11.5 billion