Recommendation 13

HM Government Acknowledged

54. We recognise the need to ensure we understand the impact Covid-19 has had on pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), understanding that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted these pupils and exacerbating the challenges that already existed within the system. 55. This is why we are continuing to monitor the impact of Covid-19 on the educational progress of children with SEND with our research into academic progress over the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years, and our research with Ipsos Mori gathering evidence from schools to understand how they have responded to the impacts of the pandemic and what further support they believe they need. We are committed to continuing our research into academic progress and note there is still progress to be made and will soon be going out to tender so we can continue to deliver this research in future academic years. 56. The publication of the SEND and AP Green Paper on 29 March 2022 marks the conclusion of the SEND Review. This sets out proposals for a system that offers children and young people the opportunity to thrive, with access to the right support, in the right place, and at the right time. Going forward, SEND reforms will ensure children and young people with SEND can access the same opportunities and benefit from the same excellent teaching and high-quality curriculum as their peers. 57. We have consistently prioritised children with SEND in our recovery programmes – for example, by providing additional uplifts for those who attend specialist settings, including special units in mainstream schools, in both the catch-up premium in the 2020/21 academic year (triple the rate of mainstream schools) and the recovery premium for the 2021/22 academic year (double the rate of mainstream schools). Specialist settings were also given an uplift to deliver summer schools in 2021, at three times the normal rate. 58. Similarly, specialist settings through National Tutoring Programme receive weighted funding for their children who are more likely to need one to one tutoring. This route gives schools the flexibility to select those tutors most suitable to support pupils either through taking on local tutors or use of existing staff to supplement those employed through the existing National Tutoring Programme. 59. The Schools White Paper, published 28 March 2022, sets out our vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential, including SEND pupils. The Parent Pledge will be an essential part of this, ensuring every child who falls behind in English or maths receives the right evidence-based targeted support, appropriate to their needs, to get back on track.