NAHT issues warning over SEND ‘postcode lottery’ as families find out their secondary school places on national offer day

Today, Monday 3 March 2025, is National Offer Day, when families find out if they have secured their first choice of secondary school for their children.

While this can be an exciting time for many, unfortunately, many families will find themselves in a difficult situation where their children, who require additional support, are placed in mainstream schools that lack the resources to provide it.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “This can be an anxious time for families. Choosing the right school and securing a place there is a huge moment in a child’s life and not everyone will get their first choice.

“There is particular concern this year for children with special or additional needs, where families are trying to navigate a broken SEND system. There remains a hugely unfair postcode lottery when it comes to support for pupils with the most severe needs.

“There will be too many cases across the country where a specialist place is the parental preference for a child with SEND but, due to lack of capacity, mainstream schools are being asked to provide a place instead and support them. Any pupils in such circumstances deserve the full provision they would have received in the unavailable specialist place, but clearly, for this to succeed, the mainstream school would need the full funding that the specialist place would have received.

“Simply asking mainstream schools to support more pupils with SEND without providing the essential staffing, funding and resources they require could have a detrimental effect on those children and young people with SEND, as well as their peers, especially if schools have to redirect funding they had previously committed elsewhere.

“It is important that we have a clear picture of the level of need within the system, in order for sufficient appropriate places to be made available. For that, more granular data on pupil need is required, and NAHT called on the previous government to publish the available provision against the known levels and types of pupil need.

“Without action, we risk a whole generation of young people missing out on the first-class support and education they deserve, and the anxious wait for families uncertain whether they will get a suitable school place for their child will continue.”

Mainstream and special schools from around the country have also been sharing their concerns about this rising issue.

On the impact of the shortage of specialist places on families, Jacqueline Bebbington, director of independent special school SENDSCOPE, Liverpool, commented: “In the current SEND climate, mainstream schools are seeing an increasing number of students with education health care plans (EHCPs) placed on roll. While staff in these schools work incredibly hard, they may not always have the specialist training or resources needed to fully support students with SEND, and developing this expertise takes time. The shortage of maintained specialist placements means many students are placed in settings that do not meet their needs, leading to distress, disengagement, and a negative experience of education.

“Independent specialist provisions help bridge this gap by offering immediate support from experienced staff who are specialists in their field. With maintained placements limited, these schools fulfil a crucial role that mainstream settings often cannot. Their support can re-engage students with education, reduce anxieties about attending school, and positively transform the lives of both students and their families.”

Jacqueline also spoke about the barriers that non-maintained specialist schools face when it comes to expanding provision to meet demand: “Expanding independent specialist provision comes with significant challenges. A key barrier is recruiting staff with the specialist skills needed to support students. The national SEND crisis has led to a 140% increase in EHCPs since 2014, yet the training of qualified staff has not kept pace.

“Funding constraints also limit expansion, as independent schools lack the same funding opportunities as maintained provisions. The full cost of educating students with SEND falls to commissioners, resulting in some placements being denied and students being left without education for prolonged periods.

“Additionally, inconsistent procedures across local authorities create further challenges. Variations in systems, timescales, and processes can delay placements, often to the detriment of students. Addressing these barriers is crucial to meeting growing demand and ensuring every child receives the support they need.”

About the lack of funding for local authorities to provide sufficient support, Jacqueline said: “Without additional funding, local authorities will struggle to meet their statutory duties to support children and young people with SEND. Independent schools may have places available and the ability to meet students’ needs, but funding constraints often result in these placements being denied.

“Whilst in an ideal world all schools would be inclusive enough for every student to attend mainstream schools, this requires significant reform of the education system, which will take time. Until such changes are made, independent specialist provisions fill a critical gap, offering life-changing support for students and positively shaping their futures.”

Mr Ian Young, principal of Rainford High, said:

“The SEND system needs to be reevaluated and readdressed, but funding as always is only part of the challenge. We need to look to schools who embrace inclusion and are using appropriate levels of funding to meet the need of individuals as effectively as possible whilst also delivering best value.

“As a mainstream school, with 9.7% of our young people with EHCPs, we have developed different curriculum pathways that support a diverse range of young people with a range of significant needs that would see a number of them traditionally have attended special schools.

“I believe we need to celebrate the creative inclusive approaches schools are already taking and ensure we use this learning and great practice to inform how we rebuild the system for the future benefit of all young people.”