Commenting on the report of the National Audit Office on the special educational needs and disability system in England, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said:
 
"This report serves to underline NASUWT's longstanding warnings about the crisis in England's special educational needs and disability system.
 
"The NAO rightly highlight the important contributors to this crisis, including the lack of join-up between different services for children, problems in assessing needs in a timely way, and the pressures on those working in the education system to ensure that the needs of children and young people with SEND are met.
 
"Critically, today's report also confirms NASUWT's concerns about the severe risks to general local authority finances of rising deficits in high needs budgets.
 
"Children, young people, their families and the staff that work with them deserve better.
 
"The Secretary of State is right to highlight the extremely difficult legacy left by the last government and that it will take time to resolve the deep and profound problems the system faces.
 
"In the immediate term, however, we repeat our call to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to use the Budget next week to relieve some of the financial pressures faced by local authorities with the highest SEND deficits.
 
"More broadly, it is important that the high priority the government has placed on addressing the SEND crisis leads to action to place the system on a more sustainable footing.
 
"We welcome the recognition by the Secretary of State that all those with a stake in the success of the system need to work in partnership not only to describe the nature of the problem, but also to help identify and implement solutions in which children and their families, the workforce and the public can have confidence. NASUWT stands ready to play its part in this difficult but vitally important task."