An education expert is urging Jersey’s next States Assembly to prioritise what he calls a 'SEND crisis'.
In his recently published policy paper about the island's Special Educational Needs Provision, Peter Fekete says there is rising demand, escalating costs, delays in support and mounting frustration.
The former Head of Sixth Form at Victoria College and director of Black’s Academy thinks other issues have dominated political debate, while the growing pressures in Jersey’s SEND system have received comparatively little public attention.
Mr Fekete says SEND is not 'not a niche issue', and that addressing it would mean that more children down the line would require less intensive provision, and even be more likely to achieve employment and independent living.
Records of Need in Jersey more than doubled between 2017 and 2024, while SEND-related spending increased from £17.2 million in 2021 to almost £38 million in 2025.
A recent inspection identified a raft of failings and concluded that 'few' disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils are having their 'full range of needs met', It suggested a different approach.
READ: Inspectors find inclusion for SEND children is lacking
Following that, the original independent reviewer returned to monitor progress and found there to be 'initial' but no 'material' improvements in SEND provision.
Mr Fekete says that with a new States Assembly, there's an opportunity to develop a more long-term approach to special educational needs:
“Jersey has many dedicated professionals working within the system, but the evidence suggests the pressures are continuing to intensify.
“My concern is that we are often responding to symptoms rather than addressing the underlying causes.
"The next Assembly has an opportunity to move this issue higher up the public agenda and develop a more coherent long-term approach.”
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