Manufacturing Biz #6 - Magazine - Page 2
Welcome
SEND, Skills and the System:
Time to Rebalance Education
I
come from a world of no mobile phones
and only three television channels.
Childhood boredom was not an
emergency; it was an expectation. Silence
was not suspicious; it was normal. Today,
I look at the pace, pressure and digital
saturation surrounding young people and
cannot help but wonder how profoundly
modern living is shaping — and straining —
developing minds.
At the same time, we are witnessing a
sharp and sustained rise in SEND (Special
Educational Needs and Disabilities) across
the U.K. Classrooms are reporting growing
numbers of pupils with autism spectrum
conditions, ADHD, speech and language
needs, and social, emotional and mental
health difficulties. Whether these increases
reflect better diagnosis, reduced early
intervention, post-pandemic impacts,
or deeper cultural shifts, the system is
undeniably under pressure. But there is
2
“If we design an
education system that
values multiple forms of
ability, we do not lower
expectations. We widen
the definition of success.”
another change running alongside this
trend — one that receives far less attention.
Over the past two decades, schools have
steadily narrowed access to vocational
and technical pathways. Workshop spaces
have disappeared. Practical subjects
have been squeezed. Performance tables
have prioritised academic benchmarks.
The message, implicitly or explicitly, has
M A N U FA C T U R I N G B I Z M A G A Z I N E A P R I L 2 0 2 6
been that success lies primarily through
examination routes and university
progression.
For many young people, that pathway works.
But for many others, particularly those who
are neurodiverse, practically minded, or
motivated by hands-on learning, it does not.
Secondary education has become
increasingly structured around written
output, abstract reasoning and high-stakes
assessment. For a teenager struggling with
executive function, attention regulation
or anxiety, this environment can magnify
difficulties. A student who might thrive
building, repairing, designing or problemsolving in a workshop can quickly become
labelled disruptive, disengaged or “behind”
in a system that prizes academic conformity.
This is not to suggest that schools create
SEND. Neurodevelopmental differences
are real and longstanding. But it is fair to
ask whether a narrow academic model
