The head teacher of Britain's largest private special needs school has warned that Labour reforms risk 'pushing children out' of education. Jonathan Hetherington, head of More House School in Surrey, said the overhaul of special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision may lead to 'woeful outcomes' for pupils like his. He also said it could lead to a 'shrinkage' of the special needs sector, meaning a 'loss of expertise'.
Government plans for inclusion
In future, ministers want all pupils with Send to be educated in mainstream schools, with only those with the very highest needs sent to special schools. This will reduce the amount of public money used to fund places at private special needs schools. Every mainstream school will have an 'inclusion base' – a classroom where Send pupils can be catered for – and teachers will get extra training.
However, Mr Hetherington said that while he 'supported' making mainstream schools more inclusive, some children would still be unlikely to cope. He told the Daily Mail: 'It doesn't matter how inclusive you try to make that environment, there are so many children for whom it's not going to work. I think there's a real danger that many of those students are going to get pushed out.'
Rising concerns over homeschooling
His comments come amid concerns that many parents of Send children are already choosing to take their children out of education - despite being ill-qualified to homeschool - because of a lack of support within mainstream schools. More House provides tailored support for 500 boys aged eight to 18 with 'literacy and language-based' issues including dyslexia. Mr Hetherington warned the same level of individualised help would be hard to replicate in big mainstream schools.
'Removing opportunity from such children would be a disastrous move, and it will definitely have an impact on their futures,' he said. He also warned that putting children with Send in mainstream schools could affect their 'self-confidence'. 'There's a real danger that it makes children far more socially excluded,' he said. 'They're the ones marked out as different who miss half their lesson time by going to a specialist hub.'
Impact on the independent sector
Mr Hetherington said he was not concerned about the viability of his own school under the reforms. However, he fears it could mean More House will become 'less accessible for children whose families cannot afford to do it privately'. In addition, he is concerned that other schools could close, if fewer pupils are placed in them, leading to a 'shrinkage' of the sector in general.
'If fewer are placed within the independent sector, we will see a reduction in those independent school places,' he added. 'The independent sector is a really critical part of the system. It would be the greatest mistake to lose the expertise and provision in these schools. Once it's gone it's gone.'
More House School's role
More House, a non-profit charitable school rated 'exceptional' in most categories under Ofsted's new framework, currently has 80 per cent of pupils funded by local authorities, via education, health and care plans (EHCPs). It aims to provide mainstream qualifications so that pupils can go on to lead successful lives, with 83 per cent of council-funded pupils doing A-levels and the majority going to university. It says its fees of between £22,000 and £26,000 a year are cheaper than those charged by some state-maintained specialist schools.
Mr Hetherington said special school fees reflect the costs involved in catering to a high level of complex need. He is chair of the Independent Schools Association (ISA), which represents the heads of 802 private schools including 205 which are specialist provision or Send schools.
ISA report and government response
At the weekend, the ISA published a report arguing the private sector is a 'supporting pillar' to the entire Send system. It said ISA schools support more than 11,000 students with EHCPs in specialist provision, adding they are crucial to 'maintaining system capacity'. The report stated: 'ISA schools are committed to working with Government and partners to ensure that reform strengthens, rather than destabilises, the specialist capacity on which thousands of children and families rely.'
A Department for Education spokesman said: 'Our once-in-a-generation Send reforms are putting inclusion at the heart of education– backed by £4 billion to ensure every child gets the right support, in their local school, at the earliest possible stage, without having to fight for it. This comes alongside £3.7 billion to create 60,000 specialist places across the country and help drive our target of inclusion bases in every secondary school, so that more children can thrive in a school that's right for them and remain part of wider school life. We have always been clear that special schools will continue to have a vital role for children with the most complex needs, and we recognise the expertise that many providers bring. We'll continue to work closely with our schools, colleges and nurseries to make sure everyone has confidence in the system we're building.'
The Government's new VAT on fees applies to private special needs schools, although if councils are paying for places they can claim back the tax.
