Have you noticed many schools are trying to assign labels to pupils who may not necessarily need them - why is there a huge increase in SEN statements and the sheer number of pupils being diagnosed ?

@IAmUsingTheApplauseReactionSarcastically

With the absolute certainty of your daughter's right to an education at your back, read widely around the subject and inform yourself about SEN law -don't think that your DC's school or LA will always act in your DC's interest (as your DC's teacher's reaction shows). Engage with SENDCo rather than your child's teacher. SENDCo or Inclusion Lead should be setting the tone for how the needs of children with SEN are met (and discussed!) at your DD's school, and it definitely shouldn't have the merest whiff of the things said by Tizer above. I too have an autistic DC in mainstream and have found that advocating for their needs is relentless and often down to luck. The most productive (if exhausting) thing I've done has been to be 100% proactive and on the frontfoot about what I think might work for DC in school, or be really specific when asking them to frame an intervention and staying really clear of any tendency to talk in general terms: "DC finds X difficult because Y. What might be put in place to support this to happen?" Because I see what brings the most impactful change in my own workplace, I suppose I have a blueprint to work from and this is problematic in itself as SEN advocacy is far from a level playing field which is a national disgrace.

Hear, hear. It must be incredibly difficult for teachers right now but I do wonder what exactly we are supposed to do with statements like ‘I have 30 children in my class’ (offered with no empathy/sympathy/suggestions as to how to make the best out of a bad lot). ‘Oh OK, I’ll just let DD know she needs to stop being autistic due to funding issues’ 👍

(The most galling thing is that DD’s needs are primarily SEMH-related and this was in response to us simply asking the teacher to try and foster a positive relationship with her because DD was convinced she hated her. Hardly time-consuming or difficult to keep track of, especially when weighed against the potential benefits or in our case, massive long-term damage of not doing so 😭)

@TizerorFizz I've not 'argued' two sides of a coin. I have said that two things can be true simultaneously.

You say things like:
"...everyone always wants their entitlement"
and
"So parents are seeking to get help for dc and not accepting dc are not that special..."
and
"...too many dc needing adjustments and money..."
and
"Everyone needs help. That’s the issue...".

A statutory educational entitlement for all children and young people exists as a fundamental right irrespective of whether a learner has SEN. This is the foundation upon which all education provision happens. It is the basic premise which all who work in education should be operating on, you included if you work in school management and governance. It is not a 'nice to have' but enshrined in law. As a governor, it is literally your job to critically review how a school fares in ensuring best possible outcomes for all learners on the basis of this entitlement.

The statutory entitlement to education exists quite independently of available funding allocation. The fact that funding is scarce does not alter every child's inalienable right to learn. So what do we do? We double down and get forensic about ensuring access by identifying gaps in learning, and creative and tenacious about finding interventions which will support pupils achieve best outcomes. With diagnosis -great! With some extra funding -great! Without either -never mind, no excuses, no letting up on centering the best interests for each learner, we do all we can within ordinary available provision and push for more. One chance at mainstream primary and secondary education ‐it's got to count. These are children's lives you are dismissing talking about.

Your take on this is a cause for concern for me, and if you made comments and insinuations like the ones you've made on this thread anywhere in my trust, you'd be eye-rolled so hard and considered part of the problem. And just to make it clear: children with SEN and their families are not the problem.

Even having a child with a diagnosis doesn't bring money.

DD has every bit of paper possible, and school don't seem to get any money for her. What resources they do have have all gone on getting her exam access arrangements in place - not on actual help.

The increase is because schools used to be well funded with smaller class sizes that meant children were supported regardless.

Now a child needs a diagnosis so that the schools can access funding to bring support that the child may need because they are under funded.

@AdultHumanFemale You have just argued two sides of the coin. Entitlement is a difficult concept when there’s not enough money. The money is spread too thinly. Over diagnosis is now recognised. Schools are responsible for allocating their sen funds. Getting more is of course in their interests as is getting better results by too many students getting extra time. They don’t at work so it’s not a long term benefit when it comes to employment .

You might have taught 25 years and I’ve been involved in school management and being a governor for nearly 40 years. At which point was there ever enough money? Never from what I’ve seen and everyone always wants their entitlement. Of course they do but most schools have to compromise. Pp money is the biggest help but mc schools don’t see much of it so the mc Sen issues ensure budgets are stretched.

@TizerorFizz "So parents are seeking to get help for dc and not accepting dc are not that special. Schools don’t have the money and it’s not easy for anyone. There’s no answer to be honest."
C'mon, Tizer -think! Your statements above are not mutually exclusive:

Yes: some children struggle to access the age-related curriculum (note: as a primary school teacher with 25 years experience, I know that when a child struggles to access the age-related curriculum, additional targeted support and bespoke intervention almost always makes a tangible difference and improves outcomes for the child immensely).

Yes: some parents are noticing that their DC need additional support in order to access the age-related curriculum.

Yes: some parents choose to request referral for assessment in order to better understand their DC's needs and challenges -who wouldn't? Schools ask parents' permission to make referrals for investigation and support from allied professionals all the time. It has nothing to do with parents "not accepting that their DC are not special"; what does that even mean?! All children are special irrespective of whether or not they have additional needs and, what's more, all have an entitlement to an education which meets their needs. Schools being cash-strapped does not change this fundamental entitlement. It just makes it a bit more shit for everyone, and most of all the child or young person with SEN and their families who have the Sisyphean task of taking on the SEN system in Local Authorities (and, regrettably, some schools) in order to safeguard their children's right to an education.

@CurlyKoalie The reason you don't hear much about SEN funding in your role is most likely because there is very little SEN funding to go around, and so it doesn't come up. Allocation of support staff does not necessarily mean a child comes with funding, but rather that there is a recognised need and SENDCo has some capacity in staffing. Very little of SEN is funded, and your SEN department is likely cobbling together support with what resources they have to hand. It is your right (and, arguably, your responsibility as a teacher to be informed of the SEN of the pupils in your classes though. Your SENDCo should keep all staff up to date with this as you are contracted to fulfil the basic entitlement of every pupil's right to an education, and this includes meeting the needs of SEN pupils.

Schools don’t want you having a ehcp.
I spent 2 years fighting for one, with no support from the school.. all while they only allowed my child 1 hour a day of education. He spent the rest of the time at home.

they definitely were not giving any assistance to help us. Apparently instead he wasn’t entitled to a full time education because he has SEN

People on this thread may be interested in this new BBC 5-part podcast about the rise in autism diagnosis: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002bszl

Can they?
How much and where from?

This article doesn’t suggest schools get a vast amount of funding for labelling children with SEN - quite the opposite:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/may/02/headteachers-england-wales-northern-ireland-send-schools-survey

NB - the comment about deficit funding!

I think in my daughter’s case it was my refrigerator mothering and all the chicken nuggets she eats 👍

Anecdotally in my experience it’s parents who push for a diagnosis not schools. Schools would only push for a diagnosis if it would impact their data or it would allow children get special consideration during exams (a scribe, movement breaks, extra time etc).

The money that comes with an echp is almost a moot point because it frequently doesn’t add up and as an ehcp is a legal document it leaves the school out of pocket. For example it may recommend that a child needs 15 hours of small group and 1:1 support a week but only allocate £7,000 to pay for it which obviously doesn’t cover the salary of a TA for 15 hours a week all year.

The huge uptick in send - particularly neurodiversity- is certainly something that needs to be looked into as there’s literally hundreds of theories as to what’s going on (screen time, microplastics in food, more older parents additives in food etc). In Romania I believe they’re looking a lot into the links between screen time and autism and request children have a period of screen free time before they get a diagnosis. In the US I think that MAHA guy started with good intentions of looking into it then detailed it with his autistic people will never pay taxes, never write a poem speech. Personally I believe we’re in the middle of a massive pendulum swing where we’re becoming more and more aware of how these things present themselves and I’m hoping the pendulum settles somewhere in between increased understanding (especially in how they present in girls which has been hugely missed for years) but without every personality quirk being written off as autism or adhd. I'm also wary of anybody who claims to have the answers here - as humans we're very early on our journey of understanding how neurodiversity works.

Maybe it's time to let this thread die rather than bumping it with more of the same comments. The OP is not responding so presumably (hopefully) now realises they're wrong. If they posted it as a wind-up then they have had their fun.

You clearly have no experience of this. It is a massive fight to get schools to recognise SEN unless the child is literally non-verbal or unable to engage in mainstream school in some extreme way.

Schools deflect, deny and will do anything to avoid accepting an SEN.

Eh? Why wouldn't I ask you to your face if you'd like a non verbal 7 year old in your kids class with no TA and no funding? Belive me I wouldn't in my NT kids class.

My child has a genetic condition. I'd also ask anyone to their face why they don't belive in DNA. What part of my post don't you think I'd say to your face?

Another goady SEN bashing post. I hope you never have a stroke or car crash and find yourself on the other side of your own disgust.

Out of 242 kids in my daughters year group there are only 5 that have an EHCP

a quirk would not get you past the threshold

it took 8 long gruelling years to get the EHCP

the school thought she may also be dyslexic but could not afford the test £500 and it wasn’t worth getting the “ label” we could not afford it so she does not have that official diagnosis

we are also not nothing to pursue a autism diagnosis as we are utterly crushed and exhausted by the sen process and can’t take any more

teachers are not pushing for diagnosis and are not the ones that diagnose

yesterday I sat through a review meeting and it was 3 hours long

op you sound very very ignorant of the whole process and disrespectful of the horrendous process parents and kids go through

Schools can't diagnose anything

But

They have been totally underfunded for well over a decade and they can't pay for support staff unless they are funded via a child's EHCP (the document that replaced statements in 2014)

@yummymu you are showing yourself up massively. I would back away now.

There nothing wrong with this response. It's based on the posters personal experience. Your reply is very goady as is your post. Are you okay because you seem like your picking an unnecessary fight?

schools don’t diagnose SEN and don't receive liberal amounts funding to support the children that do receive formal diagnoses.

@yummymu
my son is in year 7 and has no issues at all

school is threatening us with neglect and saying we are obstructing the help they wish to provide for a pupil with sen

What sen are they saying your son may have and what evidence do they have of this?
School cannot diagnose sen, and your views on your child's need would be taken into account with any referral to outside professionals (who would need to be involved in order for there to be any diagnoses made)
How are school threatening you with neglect... this seems like an unusual approach for a school to take, if they have serious concerns about neglect.

Not read the entire thread but I have three kids with a ehcp because of a genetic condition that the nhs didn't test for until I was pregnant with my third.

Two I had to appeal for two of the ehcps which takes years to do myself. I had no choice as the senco and head was dragging my child into school by the wrist daily. How who you like be dragged into work crying every day aged 5?

School gets no extra funding and both schools actively objected to them.

The only child who got the ehcp from the state couldn't talk aged 7. Would you like him unsupported in your kids class?

My daughter had no TA in her class at all but two kids with ehcps in a class of 30 with one teacher. Fancy her in your kids class?

Her now granted very meager £500 a term got a TA in the classroom. How much do you think a TA earns? Hint - It's not under £100 a week.

Where is this funding? My children's funding is pitiful. I feel sorry the school. In our case we have a genetic mutation. Not sure if that's definitive enough for you OP? I think most parents would be alarmed if their child couldn't talk by 7 buy maybe I'm over fretting. They all talk eventually right?