The UK government has committed to maintaining robust support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as part of its upcoming reforms to the education system. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated that the government plans to increase funding for SEND services, despite recent leaks suggesting significant changes to how support is delivered. These details are expected to be outlined in a White Paper scheduled for release on Monday, which has sparked concern among parents anxious about potential limitations to their children’s assistance.
Increased Funding and System Overhaul
Phillipson emphasised in a recent interview that the government is not only committed to preserving effective support, but is also planning to invest additional resources into SEND services. “We are not going to be taking away effective support from children,” she assured, aiming to quell fears that reforms could jeopardise existing assistance.
The proposed changes, however, include a reassessment of children’s needs as they transition to secondary education. This comes amidst growing scrutiny of a SEND system that many believe is in crisis, primarily due to escalating costs. Leaked information from the forthcoming White Paper indicates that children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) will be reassessed starting in 2029, with a new framework of Individual Support Plans (ISPs) being introduced.
These ISPs are intended to ensure that every child with identified special educational needs, even those without EHCPs, will have a tailored plan supported by legal backing, thereby formalising their access to necessary resources.
New Legal Framework and Parental Concerns
Phillipson noted that the new ISPs would have a statutory basis, creating clearer pathways for families seeking support. “The assurance I can give to parents is that under the new system, more children will receive support… and they’ll receive it more quickly,” she stated. This pledge aims to alleviate the burdensome process many parents currently face in securing support through EHCPs.
However, the shadow education secretary, Laura Trott, voiced significant concerns about the proposed reforms. She highlighted how many parents currently struggle to obtain necessary support, expressing that the idea of reassessment could be alarming. For families like Hannah Luxford’s, who fought for 18 months to secure an EHCP for her son, the potential changes raise serious questions about the protections currently in place. “If that’s taken away, it will take us back to where we were five years ago,” she lamented.
Financial Implications and Educational Equity
The government’s decision to shift SEND funding responsibilities from local councils to central government by 2028 is expected to generate a financial strain of approximately £6 billion. This has raised alarms among educational commentators, who warn that without a clear strategy to manage rising costs, the quality of education for SEND students may not improve.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has outlined three potential courses for the government: increasing education funding, enacting reforms to curb SEND expenditure growth, or implementing budget cuts. Luke Sibieta of the IFS remarked on the current situation, labelling it “the worst of all worlds,” where the number of EHCPs is rising, costs are climbing, and the quality of educational outcomes remains inconsistent.
In addition to SEND reforms, the government has announced a goal to halve the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers by the time students born during this parliamentary term complete secondary school. Recent statistics indicate that the disadvantage gap index for Year 11 students has widened, reaching its highest level in a decade at 3.94, highlighting the pressing need for effective interventions.
Why it Matters
The upcoming reforms to the SEND system represent a crucial opportunity to reshape educational support for vulnerable children in the UK. As the government seeks to reassure parents, the effectiveness of these changes will ultimately depend on their implementation and the actual impact on children’s educational experiences. With significant financial pressures and existing systemic challenges, the path forward will require careful navigation to ensure that no child is left behind in the pursuit of an equitable education system.
