Navigating the SEND Crisis in UK Schools Relational Mentoring Matters

The UK education sector is currently navigating a profound Special Educational Needs (SEN)

crisis. Last year alone, 576,000 young people required an Education, Health and Care Plan

(EHCP), yet government funding has consistently failed to keep pace with this rapidly increasing demand.

As a result, schools are facing a severe "behaviour crisis" where, due to a lack of resources,

discipline often takes priority over therapeutic support. The statistics are stark: currently, 88% of primary school permanent exclusions involve children with SEND. At the same time,

mainstream teachers are increasingly expected to manage complex needs without adequate

support staff or training. The strain is visible, with 52% of teachers in the state sector citing pupil behaviour as a primary reason they are considering leaving the profession.

In response to these challenges, the government recently published a new policy - SEND

reform: putting children and young people first, which focuses heavily on mainstream inclusion.

The expectation is for schools to evidence support plans, upskill their staff, and deliver targeted interventions.

At Jaskulla Mentoring, we welcome this shift. Our long-term strategy has always been focused on early intervention to prevent exclusions and support inclusive education. Instead of relying on rigid compliance, we use a trauma-informed model rooted in the Thrive Approach. By leading with Playfulness, Acceptance, Compassion, and Empathy (PACE), we build strong connections with young people. We guide them through their developmental stages, helping them build the emotional foundation they need to access classroom learning and achieve their full potential.

This strained system highlights the absolute necessity of therapeutic mentors. As a mentor, my day-to-day work involves guiding vulnerable children out of "fight-or-flight" survival states.

Through consistent co-regulation, I help them establish emotional safety and develop the skills required to successfully re-enter the classroom alongside their peers.

But our role extends far beyond the individual child. To truly change the educational ecosystem we work directly inside schools to bring multi-disciplinary expertise into mainstream settings. We provide bi-weekly supervision for school staff, upskilling mainstream educators to boost their confidence when handling complex needs. We also facilitate support groups for parents of neurodivergent children, effectively bridging the often-stressful gap between home and school.

Under the new reforms, every child with SEND must have a digital support plan. By using our

Thrive scoring system, we provide schools with the measurable data they need to map holistic needs and evidence social and emotional progress, supporting children before their distress escalates into an EHCP or an exclusion.

We know this approach works. Over the past academic year, we have seen a 150% increase in

our mentoring hours. More importantly, this work has directly driven an 87% reduction in logged behaviour incidents and secured a 91% attendance rate for our most vulnerable learners. We are successfully transforming environments where children previously faced exclusion into spaces of genuine belonging and safety.

Through our "Exclusion to Belonging" framework, we go beyond immediate crisis intervention.

By prioritising collaboration with schools, children, and parents, and by upskilling educators

rather than acting as a temporary fix, we ensure our services evolve alongside real-time needs.

This collaborative approach ensures that Jaskulla Mentoring continues to champion the

long-term needs of vulnerable children for years to come.