Teachers struggling to pick up the pieces of a broken special needs system

Only 3% of teachers say that the pupils they teach who have special or additional learning needs always receive the educational support to which they are entitled.

Two-thirds of the teachers who responded to a survey conducted by the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union said the level of support received by their pupils with SEND/ALN/ASN has decreased in the last five years.

The survey, which received nearly 3,000 responses from teachers across the UK, found that long waiting lists for support, budget pressures on schools and colleges and shortages of specialist staff are leading to a breakdown in the system of special needs education.

There is clear evidence that the impact of both the pandemic and the cost of living crisis are exacerbating the problems and that this is having a negative impact on teachers’ wellbeing and morale.