SPENDING on providing support to children with Special Educational Needs has more than doubled in the past five years to £37.8m, the Education Minister has said.
Deputy Rob Ward said that the overall 120% increase in expenditure over five years equated to 113% in real terms, after removing the impact of inflation and pay awards.
Answering a written question from Deputy Max Andrews, the minister said that in 2021, £17.2m was spent on children with SEN but has risen to £37.8m last year.
He said: “The scale of this growth reflects both the demographic changes across the Island – with more children being identified as having special educational needs – and the government’s continued commitment to supporting children and young people with additional needs.
“The increased investment demonstrates a clear focus on ensuring that schools and services are better equipped to meet rising levels of need and to deliver inclusive support for every child.”
The number of children presenting with SEN also rose over the period. Those with a ‘Record of Need’ increased by 88% with 297 children in the academic year 2020/21, rising to 559 children in 2024/25.
The number of children needing SEN support increased from 1,296 in 2020/21 to 1,541 in 2024/25.
An independent review into the quality of inclusive education for pupils in government-provided schools, with a focus on Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities – published in October – found that “overall, the current leadership, organisation, systems, strategies, oversight and accountability arrangements, in relation to inclusive education in Jersey, are not sufficiently effective.”
However, it added that pupils with SEND typically reported that they felt comfortable in their schools and most parents reported have a positive relationship with their individual school.
But it continued that there were inconsistencies and a “significant number of parents” were concerned about the quality of SEND provision and approaches across Jersey.
Although the report did not address levels of funding, Deputy Ward, in responding to the review, said that funding needed to be protected and “used as effectively as possible”.
This week, the UK Government has announced major changes to its SEND system, which includes changing the edibility criteria for receiving a ‘education, health and care plan’ – which is the UK equivalent of a record of need – and introducing Individual Support Plans, which sets out what a child needs day to day.
The UK government has said that it will not be able to meet the growing demand for SEND provision if it did not change the criteria for EHCPs.
