Review into support for special educational needs pupils begins

An independent, external review of whether support for children with special educational needs (SEN) is "fit for purpose" has begun.

It follows a highly critical Stormont report into failings in the EA's services for children with SEN here.

The Department of Education (DE) has said it will take six months and has appointed Ipsos to carry it out.

The review will also look at why there is a higher proportion of children with SEN in Northern Ireland than England.

In 2021/22 in Northern Ireland, 64,500 pupils - almost one in five - have some form of SEN, and more than 22,000 have a statement of SEN.

A statement is a legal document setting out the child's needs and how these should be met in school by the Education Authority.

In England, according to government figures, about one in eight school pupils receives support for a special educational need.

Just under 4% of all pupils in England have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan - the equivalent of a statement in Northern Ireland.

The most common type of SEN for those with an EHC plan in England is for autistic children and for those with speech, language and communication needs.

There have been a number of recent reports into failings to support children in Northern Ireland with SEN.

In February 2020, the EA apologised after a damning internal report found a number of failings in its SEN services.

The NI Audit Office (NIAO) subsequently questioned if the EA's procedures for pupils with SEN were "fit for purpose" and said they needed an "urgent overhaul".

For instance, according to recent data provided by the EA in response to an assembly question from former MLA Chris Lyttle about a quarter of applications for a statement of SEN take longer than that the statutory time limit of 26 weeks.

However that is a significant reduction from 2019, when more than 85% of statements breached the 26-week target.

As well as appointing Ipsos to carry out the review, DE said there would be a steering group to oversee it with representatives from the department, the EA and the Department of Health.

The review will evaluate the EA's support for children with SEN and the funding of services for them.

It will also look at the work of classroom assistants in supporting pupils with SEN and helping them with their education.

The review will be expected to make specific recommendations to improve provision and services in Northern Ireland.

The department also said the review team would seek the views of parents, carers, pupils and advocacy groups as part of their work.

Northern Ireland's children's commissioner had previously reported that there were "systemic failures" in providing help for children with SEN.

A more recent report from the National Children's Bureau (NCB) in Northern Ireland also found that families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) felt they were "forgotten" in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some parents said that essential services "went to zero overnight".