The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has assured parents that the government will not retract “effective support” for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as it embarks on a major reform of England’s educational system. Amid rising concerns regarding the future of SEND provisions, Phillipson emphasised that funding will increase, aiming to streamline processes and enhance support for affected children.
Key Reforms on the Horizon
In an interview with the BBC, Phillipson outlined the government’s commitment to investing more in SEND services as part of a comprehensive overhaul, set to be detailed in an upcoming White Paper scheduled for release on Monday. This announcement follows a series of leaks indicating that students currently receiving Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) could face reassessments as they transition to secondary education starting in 2029.
The forthcoming policy changes have raised alarms among parents, who are apprehensive that their children’s existing support may be diminished. Phillipson, however, reassured listeners that the reforms are designed to ensure that all children with SEND will receive the necessary assistance more promptly and effectively, thereby reducing the need for families to fight for support.
Individual Support Plans to Become Central
At the heart of the proposed changes are Individual Support Plans (ISPs), which will be legally established for all children identified with special educational needs, even those without current EHCPs. These plans are intended to provide a structured approach to ensuring support is tailored to each child’s individual requirements.
Phillipson stated, “EHCPs will have an important role to play in the new system,” while emphasising that the new ISPs would have a clear legal basis to facilitate access to support. She highlighted that families would find the process less adversarial and more transparent: “Parents won’t have to fight so hard to get support through an EHCP.”
Concerns and Opposition
Despite the government’s assurances, the proposal to reassess children has raised significant concerns among opposition figures, including Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott. Trott expressed that many parents are already overwhelmed by the complexities of the system and fear that reassessment could lead to a reduction in support.
Hannah Luxford, a parent whose son has successfully navigated the EHCP process, described the current system as “unhelpful” and rife with challenges. While her son is presently thriving in a funded virtual school, Luxford is anxious about the implications of the new reforms on his legal rights: “If that’s taken away, it will take us back to where we were five years ago.”
Financial Pressures on the System
The government’s SEND reforms come at a time of financial strain, with forecasts suggesting a £6 billion budget pressure due to the shifting of funding responsibilities from local councils to central government by 2028. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the current SEND system is characterised by rising costs and an increasing number of EHCPs, but with no corresponding improvement in service quality.
In response to these challenges, the government aims to halve the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers by the end of this parliamentary term. Recent statistics indicate that this gap has widened since the pandemic, underscoring the urgent need for effective reforms.
Why it Matters
The proposed reforms to the SEND system could fundamentally reshape the educational landscape for children with special needs in England. While the government’s commitment to increased funding and support is promising, the success of these measures will ultimately depend on their implementation. Parents and advocacy groups will be watching closely to ensure that the reforms genuinely enhance access to support and do not lead to a regression in the rights and resources available to vulnerable children. The coming weeks will be critical as the government unveils its proposals and seeks to address the legitimate concerns of families navigating this complex system.
