Any SEND reform programme must deliver inclusive education system, with education in mainstream provision as “the presumption”: ADCS President

The new President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), Rachael Wardell, has warned that any SEND reform programme must deliver an inclusive education system, with education in mainstream provision as “the presumption”.

In her inaugural ADCS Presidential address last week (9 April), Wardell, who is Director of Children's Services (DCS) at Surrey County Council, highlighted pressures in the SEND system as “top of the worry list” for DCSs over the coming year, and outlined the key priorities of the association.

Emphasising the importance of fostering early childhood development, the President pointed to evidence that suggests an increasing number of children are not developmentally ready to learn in a traditional school environment.

She said: “Where pre-school age children aren’t meeting their milestones, ADCS members are clear that education, health and care plans (EHCPs) are not the answer. A statutory process that results in a plan, and potentially a label for life, is not an appropriate response to the range of variation in development in really young children, this is damaging to later life chances and building up long term problems. I hope this will be a consideration in whatever comes next in terms of SEND reform.”

Meanwhile, she advised that any reform programme must deliver an inclusive education system, with education in mainstream provision as “the presumption”.

She said: “If we present this as a reform of the SEND system only, how on earth will we build parental confidence in the mainstream education system; this needs to be twin tracked recognising that we can’t achieve one without the other. “

Addressing an audience of DCSs, Wardell observed that SEND has “risen to the top of the worry list” of directors, acknowledging that “time is not on our side with the end of the statutory override fast approaching”.

The “statutory override” – a temporary accounting measure that keeps spending deficits relating to SEND off local authority’s main balance sheets – is set to end in March 2026.

In February, more than half of councils that support children with SEND warned they will become insolvent when the mechanism expires, according to a survey by the Local Government Association.

Also in her speech, Wardell warned that for “too long”, national debate hasn’t acknowledged issues of disproportionality, discrimination and systemic barriers that children, young people and families face.

She said: “The Care Review did highlight this and more recently, so did the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s report on race, racism and safeguarding, but I’ve yet to see this reality both recognised and embedded in national policy responses.”

The ADCS President continued: “I don’t need to rehearse with you all of the reasons why we urgently need reform of our support and services for children with additional needs and disabilities but I think it’s important that we continue to remind ourselves that under the current system spend has never been higher, outcomes are getting worse for children and young people, and all but a few councils fear bankruptcy overnight if the statutory override is withdrawn!”

“[…] ADCS has put forward a number of short- to medium-term actions which would help to alleviate the immediate pressure many of us are experiencing while laying the foundations for more fundamental reform further down the line. We are ready to work with government on the reform that is now urgently needed.”

Lottie Winson