Sen pupils face unacceptable barriers to achievement
Pupils with special educational needs are not receiving the support they are entitled to due to budget cuts and a lack of specialist training for teachers, the Annual Conference of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, heard today.
More pupils with additional and complex needs are being educated in mainstream schools, but teachers are not receiving the necessary training to enable them to meet these pupils’ needs, representatives told the Conference in Manchester.
This is being compounded by the squeeze on school budgets which is reducing further the tailored resources and support in the system for pupils with special and additional needs.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:
“Teachers and schools will always strive to do their best for every child they teach, but it is unacceptable for them to be expected to meet the needs of pupils without the necessary resources and training.
“However, teachers cannot meet the diverse learning needs of pupils without access to high-quality support and resources in the classroom, the school and beyond.
“Teachers are being denied access to high quality, specialist CPD to enable them to meet the needs of pupils with special needs and disabilities.
“Without appropriate action and investment, the entitlement of pupils with SEN will continue to be seriously compromised.”
