Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on government plans to set national price bands on fees for placements in independent special schools.
“Establishing price bands to ensure that the cost of independent specialist provision is reasonable and consistent seems sensible and logical. But the government must ensure that prices are set at a level which is sufficient to meet the needs of children who require significant support. The devil, as ever, will be in the detail. What is certain is that it will not serve anybody’s interests if independent specialist provision ends up being unviable to run and children are left without the support they require.
“The use of independent specialist provision is driven by the complexity of children’s needs and the shortage of places in state-funded special schools. These pressures show no signs of abating in the foreseeable future and this provision will therefore continue to play an important role in the national system of SEND support.”