The government’s ‘national conversation’ on the future of education has launched. Its lead, Professor Becky Francis, has issued a call for evidence, seeking views on the current curriculum and assessment system. We want to encourage every parent of a child with SEND to participate— though it won’t be easy.
Although the review is also asking for responses from parents and young people, it is very complex and wordy so most would find it hard to do so. Our co-director, Sharon Smith notes, “This is not a call for evidence that is accessible to the majority of parents, children or young people. 54 questions, most of which require significant knowledge of the existing curriculum and/or to be able to understand the text proceeding the questions.”
“Through this review, we’ll focus on the most significant areas for improvement, with particular concern for supporting children and young people who are from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, those with a special educational need or disability (SEND) and those who are otherwise vulnerable.”
No Easy Read version… again
**Update** The Easy Read version is now out. Find it here (word doc)
And the call doesn’t, at present, include those with learning disabilities as there is no easy-read version. Why does this seem to be such a difficult concept for the Department for Education? If you recall, the SEND Review had to be extended because of the lack of accessible versions. It seems the DfE hasn’t learned its lesson.
I have asked the review team about this. I’ve been told that an Easy-Read and easier-to-use versions are on their way. But it of course isn’t ideal that once again they are not published at the same time. The message it sends our community is that they are not as important to engage with, which is very unfortunate and frustrating. If you need a BSL version though, there is one, but you have to email for it and their “team will facilitate this.” So, another hurdle to jump, instead of it being available to those who need it.
As Sharon says, there are 54 questions of variable complexity, but you have to go through the response form to find out what they are. You can, however, save your progress. Sharon has been through the form and copied the questions, which I have pasted into an open document format and a pdf, that you can find at the end of this article to make it easier for offline thinking and writing before pasting them into the online form— you don’t have to answer everything, just what you know about, or want to answer. Our document will help you plan your answers.
What do they want to know?
“The review is seeking evidence on how the curriculum and assessment system can ensure all young people are prepared for life and work. The
main purpose of the review is to ensure that the curriculum balances ambition, relevance, flexibility and inclusivity for all children and young
people”
The Review “will be rigorously evidence and data-informed”, which makes a change from the SEND Improvement Plan, for which little supporting evidence was used, it seems.
The basic asks of the review panel are:
- feedback on what works in the current system
- what doesn’t work or isn’t helpful
- suggestions for potential improvements
Why is this important for disabled children?
It’s important to emphasise how vital this review is for the education of children and young people with SEND. Changes made here have the potential to create a more inclusive curriculum. It could make the difference between children with SEND finding their passion for learning and a path forward, instead of as now, finding an inaccessible curriculum making them believe education is not set up for them.
You can tell the panel what doesn’t work -insisting on certain ways of doing things, inflexible behaviour policies, attendance rewards that children with medical conditions cannot hope to meet, lack of SEND training, lack of teaching assistants, lack of SEND resources… I could go on.
You can also tell them what would work better. A curriculum that understands children learn differently, exams that reward creativity of thought, not just tick-boxing learning points. Physical Education options that make children feel valued and positive about their bodies. Getting political ideology out of education in favour of the education children will need to thrive in the modern world. Ensuring that assessments are accessible and access arrangements are flexible and can be easily put in place, even at short notice.
“We are aware that in some education settings, special schools for example, delivery of the curriculum may need significant adaptation in order to meet the needs of those who receive it.”
As well as the basic curriculum, think about what your children need to learn: maths for managing life’s financial needs, such as how to manage a bank account, how mortgages, pensions, and interest rates work. These are far more useful for a 14-year-old than calculus. Skills for coping in an AI-driven world, knowing how to stay safe online, critical thinking skills to determine what’s fact and what’s conspiracy. We need a bigger focus on respecting and celebrating difference, on emotional intelligence and resilience for a fast-changing, uncertain world. Our children need to learn how our their actions affect more than just themselves and how to navigate that for the good of society as a whole.
We also can’t ignore the environment that helps vulnerable children access the curriculum in the first place. For example, nurture groups in every school, a dedicated school counsellor instead of an already harried teacher who’s been compelled to do extra training on top of their ten other roles in school. An understanding that reading aloud can cause severe anxiety, and help to overcome that. Better support for children who are out of school, and new places created so they can attend without their mental health being further decimated.
As we suggested in a previous post, it would be much better for the SENCO to have a (much-increased) budget of their own, instead of a “notional” budget, so they can accountably and transparently use it just for SEND. This alone could be transformative for children with additional needs but without EHCPs.
Are these all points specifically curriculum and assessment related? Perhaps some are not directly for most, but for children with SEND, it’s often the support that helps them learn what the curriculum has to offer. Without them, no amount of tinkering with subject content will make much difference.
While you might say, well those are for the SEND Improvement Plan, this is deeper than that. SEND support and inclusion shouldn’t be a separate add-on, or a nice to have if you can afford it. An accessible curriculum is good for the learning of all children and should be baked in so more can do well in their local school. Too many children are forced out of school or into specialist provision when, with a few adjustments and some extra support and expertise, they would be able to stay close to home. The curriculum and how they are taught is the starting point for that. Question 54 will work here.
What does the review aim to do?
“The Review will seek to identify the most significant and pressing issues facing curriculum and assessment. We will focus on addressing these without destabilising the system, making changes where things are working well, or where there is insufficient evidence to warrant change. In short, we seek to bring about evolution, not revolution.”
This means as well as reading, writing and maths, it will be looking at the broader curriculum, “so that children and young people do not miss out on subjects
such as music, art, sport and drama, as well as vocational subjects”.
It aims to ensure young people leave education with the skills they need to thrive, including life skills, with a curriculum that “reflects the issues and diversities of our society”. When it comes to assessment, including SATS, it aims to get the “right balance” of assessment methods and exams that “capture the strengths of every child and young person and the breadth of curriculum.”
There is one SEND voice on the Review panel, in former SENDCO now SEND consultant Gary Aubin. This is positive, but there are no parent or parent carer voices on the panel, which considering the big increase in children with so much anxiety and mental health issues that they’re unable to go to school, seems a little short-sighted.
“The curriculum belongs to the nation. And especially, it must work for the young people who follow it, and the teachers and lecturers that communicate it…As such, it’s imperative that we hear perspectives and evidence from as wide a range of people as possible including children, young people, parents, education professionals and other stakeholders.”
Two further points of note: the review will include not only LA-run schools, but also academies that currently don’t have to follow the national curriculum. It will also include education for 16-19 year olds.
SNJ helping you make it easier
Because we can’t find any list of questions, we’ve been through the form and put all the questions into a document so you can take a look at your leisure and make some responses offline first. You can find the editable version here (odt) and a pdf version here
How do I submit evidence to the review?
The call for evidence runs from 25 September to 22 November 2024 and can be accessed here.
The call for evidence runs for eight weeks until 22 November.
You can respond via the online form, via email, or by post: CAR Review Team, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3BT
Helpfully (or churlishly) the information says “If for exceptional reasons, you are unable to use the online system, such as due to compatibility issues with specialist accessibility software, you may request and complete a Word document version of the form.”
The review will be hosting a series of regional roadshows. You can sign up for an in person or online event here
Also read
- Children with SEND deserve better than being made pawns in the VAT wars
- An epidemic of SEND school transport failings leaves disabled children at risk and missing school
- The Ofsted changes are bad news for SEND accountability
- The SEND “Emergency” debate: scrap safety valve, write-off high needs debt and stop piling trauma on to families
- Scrapping the SEND Tribunal would cover up injustice and no parent of a disabled child will ever support it
- What will a Bill for Children’s Wellbeing do for our children with SEND?
- Post-16: mental capacity and the SEND Tribunal
- 18.4% with SEND in 2024, and girls are increasingly suffering. Plus, a new hot destination for SEND
- SNJ in Conversation with Brian Lamb OBE: Building good parental relationships is the key to fixing SEND
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She is a rare disease & chronic pain patient advocate with Ehlers Danlos syndrome.
- The Unacceptable Truth: 20 SEND legal rights at risk from the Government’s SEND reforms - September 9, 2026
- Dear Secretary of State for Education, Lucy Powell: an Open Letter from Special Needs Jungle and SEND legal charity SOS!SEN - August 4, 2026
- Research: Disabled young people define inclusive education as “learning in the place that’s right for them” - July 30, 2026
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