**AEN Code of Practice**
The purpose of the Additional Educational Needs (AEN) Code of Practice is to give relevant public authorities (principally schools, UCM and aspects of the Department) guidance on how to discharge their statutory duties with regards to AEN once the Education Bill 2020 became law.
Although the Education Bill 2020 was withdrawn in February 2021, two months after the AEN Stakeholder Survey closed, work on the AEN Code of Practice continues with potential amendments to existing legislation to follow, pending the creation of a replacement Education Bill. Responses from the survey, summarised below, have given the Department much to consider. Every open text response has been read by central DESC Special Needs staff and colleagues drafting sections of the AEN Code of Practice. Due to the wide range of issues raised in the survey responses, the Department will be mindful of the feedback when undertaking future strategic planning, devising a Special Educational Needs training programme for schools and developing business cases for additional resources. The Department would like to thank respondents for taking time to share their views.
**Summary of responses **
The survey received 504 responses, with just over half (54%) from parents / guardians.
The majority of other responses came from DESC staff. A small percentage (< 5%) were received from third sector organisations and other government agencies. Circa 60% of respondents feel that existing SEN provision within school is not particularly effective at meeting children's learning and development needs, with only 1.6% feeling provision is very effective. Most feel that support and interventions are not effective (27%) or sometimes effective (53%) at enabling children to make appropriate progress.
When asked what prevents interventions from being effective, typical themes include; lack of funding/resources across DESC and DHSC, insufficiently trained staff, and lack of flexibility/capacity within schools. Exemplar comments include: Not enough specially qualified staff to educate the individual disabled person, everyone is just helpers in the classroom with one teacher who seems to always be tried up with paperwork (Parent/carer) It is not the interventions that are the problem it is the ability to deliver the interventions effectively that is the problem in most schools. Lack of funding, lack of support staff and too much responsibility placed on the class teacher to meet the needs of every single child mean that 'interventions' are often ineffective (Primary Teacher).
The full AEN Code summary consultation can be found [https://consult.gov.im/education-and-children/addi... here].
The Department will produce summary advice and guidance for parents once the AEN Code begins to take effect.