England's school leaders have warned that the government's pursuit of academic achievement targets may sabotage its own special educational needs reforms. The Association of School and College Leaders submitted this criticism during a government consultation on Send policy changes.
Headteachers argue the government faces a fundamental contradiction. Its proposed measures aim to help mainstream schools enroll more children with special educational needs and disabilities. Yet its simultaneous focus on exam results and academic attainment metrics punishes schools that embrace inclusive enrollment. Schools that take on students with Send face performance pressure through metrics that do not account for these students' different learning trajectories.
The union contends that policies measuring schools primarily on academic outcomes create perverse incentives. Schools that improve their exam results by excluding or segregating Send students advance up performance rankings. Schools that genuinely include disabled learners risk lower metrics and potential intervention from education authorities. This dynamic directly contradicts the government's stated goal of expanding mainstream Send provision.
The tension reflects a longstanding debate in English education policy. For decades, governments have endorsed inclusion of disabled students in mainstream schools while maintaining accountability systems that reward schools for traditional academic metrics. Teachers argue these systems cannot coexist without conflict.
The government's consultation seeks feedback on expanding mainstream Send capacity as part of broader education reforms. But school leaders say the accountability framework makes this expansion risky for their institutions. Headteachers face pressure from Ofsted inspections, performance tables, and government oversight based on attainment data. Adding Send students without adjusting how schools are evaluated creates institutional disincentives for genuine inclusion.
This feedback from the Association of School and College Leaders carries weight because headteachers manage the practical implementation of education policy. Their opposition suggests the government may need to recalibrate either its academic accountability systems or its inclusion ambitions to avoid policy failure. Without addressing this fundamental misalignment, expanded Send provision in mainstream schools may remain limited regardless of government