ISC spokesperson: Independent schools' role in SEND provision is 'incredibly important'

A recent Parentkind survey found that pupils at state schools are almost three times more likely to have their lessons disrupted by poor behaviour than their independently educated peers. Responding to these findings, Ms Cunnane said that independent schools "benefit from quite often smaller class sizes, which can make it easier to control disruption", adding that most parents "feel like they are getting good value from independent schools". Underlining the similarities between the state and independent sectors, she added: "I definitely do not think it is an ethos thing. I think if you go into a state school or an independent school the focus is always very much on the learning."

Ms Cunnane went on to explain that only around half of independent schools are selective, saying: "It is not necessarily the case that independent schools are any more selective than some state schools. I think that a variety of parents choose independent schools for a variety of reasons. For some, it is that they have not been able to fit in in that state environment. It may be that they require extra SEND support."

The discussion also addressed the challenges families face in securing support for children with SEND, with Ms Cunnane referencing the "well-documented crisis" and warning that many children are forced to go extended periods without the right support in place.

On the important role independent schools can play in providing such assistance, Ms Cunnane said: "We have over 110,000 pupils in ISC schools receiving SEND support without an education, health and care plan (EHCP). And, in addition to making sure that those 110,000 children are getting the SEND support that they need, it is also taking that burden out of the state system."

On the impact of VAT on independent schools, Ms Cunnane noted: "We know that already the number of children who have left is around four times what the government had forecast. We also know that it tends to be parents who need that extra SEND support that are really, really struggling to pay that extra money because they are the ones who possibly would not have considered independent education in the first place. So there is a lot of impact on schools, there is a lot of impact on parents because VAT, after all, is a tax on those parents' fees. But we know that independent education will continue in some form."

Looking ahead, Ms Cunnane warned that the government's VAT on fees policy could result in independent education becoming "less accessible for parents and families and the money not coming back into the state system in the way that we would like".