This Week in SEN: Funding Promises, Policy Shifts, and Growing Frustration

This post is a personal summary and reflection on recent reporting from UK and Irish news outlets. It is not a substitute for the original journalism, which is linked throughout.

This week's SEN news feels familiar in many ways: big funding announcements, system "reforms", and families still waiting for support that should already be there. Here's what stood out.

More Money for SEND - But at What Cost?

The UK government has confirmed a significant shift in education spending, cancelling dozens of planned free schools and redirecting that money into SEND provision instead. The idea is simple enough: invest in adapting mainstream schools so fewer children have to travel miles for specialist placements.

On paper, this sounds positive. Many parents have long argued that children should be supported locally wherever possible. But there's also unease about what's being lost in the process, and whether retrofitting existing schools will genuinely meet complex needs - or simply stretch already-pressured settings even further.

Read the Financial Times coverage

£3 Billion for SEND - Relief or Reality Check?

Alongside that policy shift came the headline figure: £3 billion for SEND places in England. Councils have been told this funding should help them meet rising demand and reduce reliance on expensive out-of-area placements.

Local leaders, however, are already warning that buildings alone won't fix the crisis. Without enough trained staff, specialist services, and ongoing support, new classrooms risk becoming empty shells. As ever in SEN, funding announcements raise as many questions as they answer.

Watch Sky News' report

Ireland Moves Away from Routine SEN Assessments

Across the Irish Sea, a major policy change is underway. The Irish government plans to scrap the requirement for routine "Assessment of Need" reports for children accessing special education from 2027 onwards.

The motivation is clear: assessment waiting lists have spiralled out of control, leaving thousands of children stuck in limbo. Removing the requirement could speed up access to support - but it also raises serious concerns about consistency, accountability, and how children's needs will be formally recognised going forward.

Read the Irish Times analysis

When Delays Turn Into Protest

Those concerns feel especially sharp given the growing public anger around assessment delays in Ireland. This week, a teenage campaigner announced a sleep-out protest outside parliament to highlight the thousands of children still waiting for autism assessments - despite legal timelines that are routinely missed.

It's a stark reminder that behind every policy decision and system reform are real children and families, often left fighting just to be seen and heard.

Read the BBC report

SEN and Teaching Weekly Roundup 14-12-25

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