Funding Shortfalls For Special Educational Needs Causing ‘Untold Misery’

Funding shortfalls for special educational needs in schools are causing “untold misery” for thousands of families, a teaching union says, with schools having hit “crisis point” in supporting the most vulnerable children.Nine out of 10 of local councils in England are “simply unable to provide schools with the adequate resources” to provide specialist educational needs and disability (SEND) support, according to the National Education Union.The funding shortfall is said to be leaving vulnerable disabled children marginalised to the fringes of the education system and suffering from mental health issues.The National Deaf Children’s Society has said that if the government fails to listen to teachers, “the potential of an entire generation of disabled children is at stake. Children on an education health care plan (EHCPs) – a legal document flagging a vulnerable child as needing extra resources – has increased by a third since 2015, to 320,000 analysis by the union found.