NASUWT: Slams Government’s stubborn and damaging approach to special need education
The NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, is accusing the Government of abandoning children with special educational needs (SEN) simply to balance the books.
As the latest official figures show that more than one in five school children – around 1.7 million – have special needs, the NASUWT has outlined its ‘profound concerns’ that many will be left without much-needed support in a consultation response to the Government.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:
“The Coalition Government seems intent on ignoring all the evidence in favour of pursuing an ideologically driven approach to SEN provision designed to cut costs and reduce access to specialist support for vulnerable children.
“The Government’s proposals focus on identifying children with physical and medical forms of SEN and ignoring the needs of pupils with emotional and social problems.
“The SEN Green Paper is a thinly veiled attempt to cut funding for children and young people with additional educational needs.
“It is disgraceful to put a price on the education of vulnerable children and cause parents fear and anxiety that they may no longer qualify for support.
“If the Coalition Government is genuinely committed to meeting the needs of children with SEN and disabilities, then it must drop the proposals contained in the Green Paper and have an honest debate on this critical issue.”
ENDS
Stuart Gannon
NASUWT Press Office
Tel: 020 7420 9681
Mobile (and out of hours contact): 07966 198894
Address: 5 King Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8SD
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