Beyond the Waiting
List
Why We Must Prioritise SEND Children Now
(and How to Do It on a Budget)
Damion Braithwaite
SEND is a new and rapidly growing concept in education for special children and individuals. SEND (Special Education Needs & Disabilities) children require a particular set of skills by teaching professionals and parents alike (and the two have to work together) to deliver an effective, safe and suitable learning environment that minimises self-harm and low self-esteem.
For far too
long, the provision for children with
The consequences of inaction are severe. When schools and governments fail to take SEND seriously, we don't just fail a child academically—we risk their mental health, their social development, and their future independence. However, in an era of budget cuts, the solution isn't always about expensive new buildings. It requires a shift in mindset: from viewing SEND as a costly burden to seeing it as a fundamental test of an inclusive society. With strategic thinking, low-budget initiatives, and a commitment to training, we can build systems where every child feels safe, seen, and supported. It’s our shared starting point.
The
Current Landscape: A System Under Strain
The need for urgent action has never been clearer. In England alone, the number of pupils with SEND has skyrocketed to over 1.7 million—an increase of 400,000 since 2020. This surge has left local authorities facing a projected collective deficit of £4.6 billion by March 2026. Consequently, families are losing confidence. Many parents feel they have to fight for the most basic support and an alarming number of children are forced to travel miles from home to find a placement that meets their needs, isolating them from their local communities .
The traditional model of building new, separate specialist schools is no longer financially viable or socially optimal. The Government has acknowledged this, announcing a massive £3billion investment to create 50,000 new specialist places within mainstream schools . This shift towards "inclusive by design" schools is a welcome step, acknowledging that children with SEND should not be an afterthought but a core part of the school community. But, that’s much easier said than done with money constraints and a lack of knowledge on how to teach these children being at the core of the issue. And this issue is not just limited to developed nations.
The
Linchpin: Training Teachers and Specialists
Bricks and mortar—or new classroom wings—mean nothing without the human touch. You can build the most advanced sensory room in the world, but if the teacher in the classroom doesn’t understand how to communicate with a non-verbal child or adapt a maths lesson for a child with dyslexia, that room will remain empty.
The quality
of
This is why the UK Government’s recent commitment to a £200 million landmark teacher training programme is so crucial. This initiative, rolling out from 2026, rightly recognises that training cannot just be for specialists; it must be for *everyone* who comes into contact with a child. This includes teaching assistants, lunchtime supervisors, and early years practitioners. But also, probably most importantly, parents/guardians.
What
Effective Training Looks Like
Effective training moves beyond textbook definitions of autism or ADHD. It must be practical and continuous. Teachers need to know how a language processing difficulty affects a child's ability to solve a word problem, or how sensory sensitivities might trigger anxiety during a busy art lesson. Programmes like the new "Reading Ambition for All" initiative, which helps teachers support the lowest-attaining readers, are excellent examples of targeted, practical CPD.
Moreover, training must foster a culture of collaboration. Teachers need to be equipped to work effectively with parents—who know their child best—and with external specialists like educational psychologists and speech therapists. When a teacher is trained to spot the early signs of dyslexia or dyscalculia, they can implement interventions immediately, rather than waiting months for a formal diagnosis.
Low-Budget
Solutions for Cash-Strapped Schools
While Government investment is welcome, it often takes time to filter down to the front line. Schools cannot afford to wait. Fortunately, some of the most effective changes are not about money; they are about mindset, creativity, and the efficient use of existing resources.
Here are some practical, low-budget suggestions for schools looking to improve their SEND provision immediately:
1.
Audit and Utilise Existing Technology
Many schools are unknowingly paying for expensive software subscriptions for features that are already built into their existing devices. Before buying new tools, conduct a thorough audit.
- The Free Tools Trap: Features like speech-to-text, text-to-speech, screen magnifiers, and dictation tools are often already included for free in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
- The Saving: By leveraging these built-in accessibility tools, one school trust saved £25,000 —money that was then reinvested into direct student support.
2.
Repurpose, Don't Build
Transforming an existing space can be just as effective as building a new one. Take the example of Shipley CE Primary School. They didn't have a budget for a new building, so they repurposed their outdated ICT suite into a bespoke SEND haven called "The Orchard" .
- The Method: They used repurposed furniture, fundraised through school fairs, and used low-cost sensory elements like gentle lighting, Widgit visuals (symbol-based communication aids), and texture themes.
- The Impact: This cost-effective transformation led to reduced classroom disruptions and improved pupil wellbeing.
3.
Peer-to-Peer Learning and "Cascade" Training
You don't always need to hire expensive external consultants. Invest in sending one or two staff members to specialised training and then have them cascade that knowledge to the rest of the team .
- Community Approach: Visit neighbouring schools to see how they manage inclusion. Often, a simple conversation can spark an idea that costs nothing to implement.
- Free Frameworks: Use free resources like the Autism Education Trust (AET) framework to measure pupil wellbeing and engagement, rather than focusing solely on academic benchmarks that may not reflect a SEND child's progress.
4.
Mainstream- First, But With Support
The goal should be to support children in mainstream classrooms for as long as possible. This can be achieved by creating "calm spaces" or "breakout areas" within a classroom using bookshelves or screens—a place where an overstimulated child can regulate their emotions without leaving the learning environment. This aligns with the new Government vision of using funding to adapt mainstream schools rather than just building new separate institutions.
A
Global Call to Action
While this article focuses heavily on the UK, the principles are universal. Whether in a high-income country facing budget deficits or a developing nation building its education system from the ground up, the core message is the same: inclusion is cheaper than exclusion.
Globally, the cost of failing to identify SEND early is incalculable. It leads to higher dropout rates, unemployment, and social isolation. By adopting the UK's focus on adaptive teaching—where responding to individual learner needs becomes a core skill for every teacher, not just a specialist one—countries can build more resilient and equitable education systems.
How
Stella Safe Can Help
Navigating the SEND landscape can be overwhelming for both schools and parents. This is where platforms like Stella Safe can play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between policy and practice.
For schools, Stella Safe can serve as a central hub for guidance. It can provide staff with quick access to:
- Summaries of the latest SEND Code of Practice updates.
- Checklists for early identification of needs, helping teachers decide when to escalate a concern.
- A repository of low-cost intervention strategies shared by other educators.
For parents, who often feel isolated and unsure of their rights, Stella Safe offers a lifeline. It can provide:
- Clear, jargon-free explanations of the EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) process.
- Guidance on how to effectively communicate with schools and request support.
- A sense of community, reassuring them that they are not alone in their journey.
By providing reliable, accessible information, Stella Safe empowers the entire village it takes to raise a child, ensuring that no child with SEND is left to fall through the cracks.
Conclusion
The message to Governments and schools is clear: complacency is a luxury we cannot afford. The rising number of children with SEND is not a temporary trend; it is the new reality. While the UK’s multi-billion-pound investments in school places and teacher training are landmark steps, the real work happens in the classroom every day.
By investing in teacher training, fostering a culture of genuine inclusion, and getting creative with limited budgets, we can ensure that children with SEND are not just "included" in the system, but that the system is fundamentally designed for them. Because a school that works for a child with SEND is a school that works for every child.
REPORT: DW BRAITHWAITE
(FOUNDER & CEO)
STELLA SAFE LTD
20.2.2026