the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues
Five young disabled people who have been failed by the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system have told MPs that the government and education sector must listen to their voices if they want to fix the barriers they have faced. […]
The most senior civil servant in the Department for Education (DfE) has told MPs that educating disabled pupils in mainstream schools is usually much cheaper and produces “similar or better outcomes” than using special schools. Susan Acland-Hood, DfE’s permanent secretary, told […]
Labour’s first budget for 15 years has failed to do enough to address the “systemic challenges” faced by disabled people across society, user-led organisations have warned the Treasury. The first budget speech of chancellor Rachel Reeves included no serious attempt to […]
Tens of thousands more disabled children could have their needs met in a mainstream setting rather than a special school, if there were major improvements to the special educational needs (SEN) system, a report published by the government has found. The […]
Disabled campaigners have raised serious concerns about plans by the education watchdog to reform the way it inspects and assesses schools. Ofsted promised this week to place more “focus and scrutiny” on how schools in England meet the needs of disabled […]
One-third of young people with special educational needs (SEN) in England experienced violent bullying in the last year, according to a major government-funded survey. Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of those surveyed, who were all 12 or 13, said they had […]
The local authority that has been seen for decades as the most inclusive in England has been accused of delivering a “segregated insult” to disabled people, after backing plans for a new special school for autistic pupils in the borough. The […]
The disabled people’s organisation leading the fight for inclusive education in the UK is building a new coalition of allies and supporters to end segregation and push for mainstream education for all disabled people. The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) is […]
The special educational needs and disability (SEND) system is “creaking and ripe for long-promised reform”, according to the annual report of the education watchdog Ofsted. Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of education, children’s services and skills, warned in her annual report […]
Three disabled people’s organisations have asked the education secretary why he is refusing to scrap controversial measures that handed him the power to restrict disabled children’s right to education. Ministers insist that the powers, which were introduced a year ago through […]