Tes SEND Show 2024: What's next for SEND?

The 2024 edition of the Tes SEND Show took place earlier this month, providing ample opportunity for those working within SEND to explore many exhibitors' stands, meet colleagues from across the UK, and attend insightful seminars that will help them within their practice. Kicking off the seminars and talks was Friday’s keynote on the future of SEND – what is next?
Chaired by SEN and Disability Specialist Adviser, André Imich, and featuring Council for Disabled Children Director, Amanda Allard; CEO of nasen, Annamarie Hassall; Autism & SEND Consultant, Amanda Hind; CEO of The Compass Partnership of Schools, John Camp OBE; and actress Kellie Bright.
This keynote started with a presentation by Amanda Allard, the director of the Council for Disabled Children. She explained that SEND is the “flavour of the year”. With an election and changes in government – SEND has been a hot topic in the political sphere over the past 12 months.
Amanda went through some of the milestones that 2024 has seen: firstly, SEND now sits in the Department of Education’s school division, meaning it “falls neatly into one minister's portfolio” and increases the likelihood of school decisions to include SEND as a consideration. The second milestone is that Ofsted is reviewing its inspection framework. And lastly, despite a change in government, reforms set up by the previous government, like increasing inclusivity in mainstream schools, will continue to be implemented.
However, despite some improvements in the sector, this doesn’t mean that it is perfect, nor that it will be perfected overnight. Amanda believes that currently, while we have a framework in which best practice is possible, it often goes uncelebrated.
When best practice is possible, it generally involves people going above and beyond. Doing more than they are paid to do, thinking broader than is in their job description,” Amanda explained. “We haven't set things to SEND. We've set things to, you know, average. And we've got an accountability framework that doesn't consider SEND or celebrate when you are working your socks off to include every child from your local community in your school."
The importance of treating children like individuals was mentioned throughout the discussion. In her presentation, Amanda noted that the current system needs students to be “othered” to receive additional support. “I have to have a label in order to draw down the help and support that I need. Just because I process a bit differently or I think about things differently, or maybe I struggle to sit down in a chair for a long period of time.”
“It's quite interesting actually,” she added. “I was talking to a DfE official the other day and they were pointing out to me that, nowadays, in the workplace, you have standing desks, and who has to go to work in a suit every day?”
We require things of children and young people that we do not have to do ourselves.”
One of those requirements in school is assessments. A topic that appeared throughout the two-day show was how the school system, with high numbers of tests and assessments, leaves many children with SEND feeling like a failure. One panellist who recognised this common sense of failure was Kellie Bright, an actress most famous for her role in Eastenders, but also the parent of a child with SEND.
“I have a child who's nearly 13 who feels really bad about himself, what his capabilities are, what he can deliver,” Kellie explained. “The thing that I just can't bear is the fact that I don't know how to see him through the next four years and keep his mental health in a place where he feels good about himself. Like he's going to come out of school, and he’s got something to offer the world.”
Amanda Hind pointed out the link between poor mental health/self-worth and the high number of assessments required in the UK school system. “From the minute they go to school – they’re sitting SATs. They go to secondary school, they're put into sets, they've got targets, targets, targets. Every half term they're tested, over-tested.”
Back in late July, the Government launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review to look at the key challenges for young people in school and the barriers that hold children back from the opportunities they deserve – in particular those with SEND. On top of removing some of those assessments from the school framework, it seems Amanda Hinds's recommendations to the government would be to look at the “smaller things”.
“We need to look at the smaller things that actually make a big difference for those young people and their families. As a parent, it's absolutely horrible to see your child feeling like they are a failure and will never succeed. The impact on their mental health is huge. These days, we need to be working much more holistically, looking at mental wellbeing as well as academic achievement.”
Many within the SEND and school communities were unhappy with the way the review has been set out, including the parent-centered resource Special Needs Jungle, which noted that the 54 questions participants are required to answer are not inclusive or easily accessible to participants with additional needs.
However, Annamarie Hassall, CEO of nasen, believes this is an opportunity for the community to find its voice:
“I think we have to seize the day, seize the moment, and think of the curriculum and assessment review, which is broadly a mainstream curriculum and assessment review, as the opportunity to really influence what's happening for our children in mainstream education,” Annamarie said. “If we look at the last decades and a half, we've seen a narrowing of the curriculum. So, we need to seize the moment, seize the day. Everybody needs to get involved [in the review].”
It felt that, compared to other years, 2024 has seen some more momentum in moving toward change and creating a mainstream school system that is inclusive of children with SEND. There is a long way to go, but keynote chair, André Imich, referred to a famous Oscar Wilde quote:
There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
Let’s hope the momentum continues
Want to discover more about what happened at the 2024 edition of the Tes SEND Show?
- Listen to our podcast episode
- Watch us explore the show
- Stay tuned for all of this year's Tes SEND Show seminar videos...
By Izzy Felton
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"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
I do agree with this ! Having been a professional in autism ADHD dyspraxia, LA lead and National lead for many years in many professional conferences and TES shows I am aware of the lack of awareness in key areas of neurodivergence. There has been a complete blanket of silence despite numerous publications and our Peer reviewed Paper on cooccurring health conditions which affect neurodivergent cyp and staff. I am looking forward to the 'UNMASKING' of hypermobility in the future