Lifelong Learning and Special Educational Needs

The startling news that nearly one in five school pupils – 19.6% - now receive support for special educational needs (SEND) should give all of us pause for thought. This a continuation of a steep upward trend that shows no sign of abating; a 44% increase since 2016, and a doubling of those on formal Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) to nearly half a million. This raises an interesting philosophical question: given that the word “special” implies something highly unusual, exceptional or remarkable, is it possible to describe a cohort making up 20% of the total population as having “special” needs? Aren’t we in fact realising – now we have better diagnosis of neurodiversity and other conditions – that it’s actually quite normal to have special needs?

On a practical level, the impact is enormous. The Institute for Fiscal Studies, alongside most observers, has pointed out that the rise in the proportion of DfE funding going to SEND is absorbing an increasing amount of the schools budget, and the whole system will soon be unsustainable. The current figure for annual SEND expenditure is £11 billion, a 59% increase since 2015/16, and is projected to rise by a further £2-3 billion by 2027/28. This summer will see the government setting out plans (which are likely to be highly controversial) to develop a less costly way of meeting young people’s support needs, through a radical upgrade to the capacity of mainstream schools to accommodate SEND students, combined with much stronger restrictions on access to EHCPs. This has already been identified as a key factor in the June Spending Review, and we can expect Paul Johnson of the IfS to touch on this issue in his forthcoming Annual Lecture.

The Post-18 sector is well aware of this growing challenge, with adult education providers, colleges and universities having to spend more and more time and money supporting students with special needs and mental health issues. The outgoing Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University, Edward Peck, soon to be Chair of the Office for Students, has recently produced a short report in his capacity as the DfE’s first HE Student Support champion, which predicts that wellbeing support will need to be an integral part of the university curriculum to meet the expectations and needs of future students (“The future of the campus university”, HEPI Policy Note 64). Special needs will need to become a core aspect of mainstream provision at colleges and universities.

What implication does this have for lifelong education? First and foremost, that a high proportion of  adult learners have special needs which will need to be met from dwindling Adult Skills budgets. The figure of 19.6% from the school sector is echoed in most recent reports on adult students. For example, the Workers Education Association, in its annual impact reports, puts the figure at 19%, while the Education Select Committee’s 2022 report on prison education  – “Not just another brick in the wall” – estimated that over 30% of learners in prison have special needs.

Anecdotally, it’s clear that undiagnosed conditions such as dyslexia, autism and ADHD are a significant factor behind the failure of many adults to achieve qualifications in the compulsory education system. But it’s unclear how their needs are going to be met, as specialist support services for adults are fragmented and under-funded. It could well be that an integrated approach – combining resources from the DfE, DWP and the NHS – will need to be developed over the next few years, with devolved authorities needing to provide coordination at local level.

Common sense would suggest that adults are far more likely to have a positive attitude to continuing education if they have had a rewarding experience at the compulsory education stage. If individuals haven’t found the school curriculum fulfilling or enjoyable, and have entered adulthood with a sense of inadequacy or failure, they are far less likely to see lifelong learning as an attractive proposition, no matter how much they may accept the importance of reskilling and upskilling to strengthen their career and earning prospects.

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement, due to launch in 2026/27, will enable eligible students to access up to almost £28,000 a year via the Disabled Students Allowance, but this will of course only apply to those studying at Level 4 and above. Other sources of funding will be needed to meet the needs of those at Level 3 and below.

We need to accelerate the process of removing the stigma around having special educational needs. While the new generation of students appear to be far more willing to disclose neurodiversity, mental health and other needs, older students will have memories of a system that tended to label any with special needs negatively. The trend over the past fifteen years towards a school curriculum focused almost entirely on academic achievement and exam success has reinforced the divide between “mainstream” and “special education” and we have to hope that the Frances Review of the school curriculum, due to report in the autumn, will address this issue head on. We need to urgently take steps to reintroduce a more balanced menu of knowledge and skills, and of creative and technical education, which will be far more inclusive of a range of learning styles and preferences, and reduce the tendency of those who don’t thrive on a traditional academic diet to be pushed to the margins of the school system.

As part of making lifelong learning the new normal in our education system, we must go much further in making special needs a natural and integral aspect of all phases of teaching and learning.