Solving the SEND crisis: Why bold alternatives are needed now
At Academy21, we have witnessed first-hand the scale and urgency of the challenges facing our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. Across the country, schools are working tirelessly to support young people with additional needs, but the truth is that the current system is overstretched. Rising numbers of students with identified SEND, long waits for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), and increased demand on schools and local authorities have created a situation where too many pupils are left without the timely support they need to thrive.
The Parliamentary inquiry into Solving the SEND Crisis has been a vital moment to reflect on how we can better meet the needs of these young people. With contributions from hundreds across the sector, it is clear the issues at hand – resourcing, support, student needs, accountability have struck a chord. At Academy21, we welcomed the opportunity to contribute to this enquiry, drawing on our work with thousands of schools and local authorities across the UK.
Our written evidence is now published on the UK Parliament website, and we are pleased to share some of our key messages.
Read our full submission on the UK Parliament website
Listening to schools, learning from experience
Our submission is rooted in the voices of the many schools we support every day. Last year alone, we partnered with hundreds of schools and local authorities, teaching thousands of students, many of whom have special educational needs. From this work, one thing is clear: schools need additional capacity, quickly, if we are to prevent small challenges from escalating into crises.
We cannot rely on long-term structural reform alone. While systemic changes, such as improved coordination and additional in-school provision, are crucial, they require time and significant investment to deliver. In the meantime, thousands of children risk falling through the cracks. Action is needed now, and digital education provides a route to high-quality intervention today.
The role of online learning in strengthening SEND provision
Our submission calls for bold alternatives that can bolster and modernise our SEND system today. Among these is the greater use of high-quality, accredited online provision.
Online learning is not a replacement for in-school support, nor do we claim it is a solution for every pupil. What it does offer, however, is a powerful way to:
- Rapidly increase access to specialist teaching capacity across the sector.
- Deliver timely and cost-effective interventions that can prevent issues from worsening.
- Work alongside existing provision, providing flexibility where mainstream classrooms or physical resource bases cannot meet a child’s needs at a given moment.
Crucially, online learning sits within an existing Department for Education regulatory framework, ensuring quality and safeguarding. That means it is a solution that can be scaled quickly, without the delays associated with building entirely new structures.
Upstream intervention at scale
If we are serious about early intervention, we must be realistic about what schools can achieve within their current capacity. Teachers are already working under immense pressure, balancing multiple demands in busy classrooms. Expecting them alone to resolve the SEND crisis is not sustainable.
Online provision can act as an educational bridge, allowing pupils to stay connected to learning during periods of difficulty, while supporting reintegration back into mainstream settings when they are ready. Whether delivered as part of internal alternative provision, through local authority commissioning, or to help young people with medical needs, the flexibility of online learning ensures that no child has to miss out on a great teacher.
Seizing the UK’s opportunity in educational innovation
The Education Secretary recently remarked that “the world of even five years ago is gone forever, now we must seize the opportunities of the future.” (Gov.uk). We wholeheartedly agree. The UK has a chance to press home its position as a world leader in educational innovation.
By embedding high-quality online alternatives into our national SEND strategy, we can demonstrate how technology can be leveraged to break down barriers and expand opportunities for the children who need them most.
You can read here how countries are leading the way on leveraging digital education to improve outcomes: Why do the best-performing countries educationally invest in remote education? However, the UK can go further, given the skills and knowledge we possess in our education system and technology sectors.
Now is the time to think boldly and make more radical choices to face down a ‘crisis’ in our school system.
Our call to action
It is time to embrace the role online learning can play alongside other forms of intervention and support. We urge policymakers to recognise the capacity that already exists and to integrate accredited online provision into a national strategy for SEND.
Online is not the only solution, but it is one of the few that can be deployed immediately, at scale, and within a framework that already assures quality. For the young people waiting for support today, that difference could be life-changing.
