Today, I’ve got an important topic to talk about: the students who often go unnoticed, the ones we call “shadow” pupils. These are children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who don’t have an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) – those essential legal documents that outline the help they should receive.
A recent study by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) uncovered something eye-opening. It turns out that these “shadow” pupils, who’ve been getting support at school for six years or more, didn’t do any better in their GCSEs in 2020 than their peers with EHCPs. Shocking, right?
But here’s the catch: these pupils don’t have the same protection or support as those with EHCPs. That’s a big deal because EHCPs are like a legal safety net, ensuring that children with SEND get the help they need to succeed in school.
You might be wondering, “Don’t these kids get any support at all?” Well, they do, but it’s called SEN support, and it might not be enough, especially as they move on to secondary school. The researchers are saying that these “shadow EHCP” pupils might need more help.
What’s even more concerning is that some pupils lose their support when they transition to secondary school. That doesn’t seem right, does it? The EPI researchers are asking if it’s time to rethink this practice.
The EPI isn’t just pointing out problems; they’re also offering solutions. They’re calling on policymakers to make a promise – to not limit or reduce the number of students who can have EHCPs just to save money. See, there’s been talk about reducing the number of EHCPs, and that’s not good for these kids who really need them.
One thing you should know is that this study looked at GCSE results during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It’s the year when exams were cancelled, and students got their grades based on assessments from their schools.
Jo Hutchinson, the director for social mobility and vulnerable learners at EPI, says something really important: “We discovered a shadow EHCP group who had received school support for many years but did not have the protection of a statutory EHCP, despite going on to achieve similarly low GCSE grades to those of pupils with EHCPs. This indicates that some pupils with severe needs are not accessing the right level of support.”
The study also found some interesting things about different ethnic groups. It turns out that for students with SEND, their grades were more similar across different ethnic backgrounds compared to all students.
Additionally, having more teaching assistants and special educational needs (SEN) units helped students with EHCPs do better in school. However, this extra support didn’t have the same impact on all ethnic groups. For instance, Black Caribbean students with EHCPs benefited more from SEN units than Black African students.
Lastly, the study looked at students who speak English as an additional language (EAL). It found that students who started school in England before Year 7 did well. But for some groups, like Gypsy Roma, Traveller Irish, Black Caribbean, and White and Caribbean students, arriving in Years 10 or 11 meant lower achievement.
So, what does all this mean? It means we need to pay attention to these “shadow” pupils. They deserve the same opportunities and support as anyone else. Let’s not limit the help they can get just to save a few bucks. Every child deserves a chance to shine, don’t you think?
Sources:
https://epi.org.uk/
https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/send-more-help-needed-shadow-pupils-without-ehcps
Mr Sanchez Tutoring 