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£12.00MPs have issued a warning over the future of the UK’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, which they claim is in a state of “disarray”. A highly critical report published by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has called for an urgent overhaul of the SEND system, stating that action must be taken to prevent a “lost generation” of vulnerable children from leaving school without receiving adequate support.
The report revealed that the SEND system is mired in red tape, struggling with a lack of funding and failing to produce good value for money. Currently, an estimated 1.7 million children in England have special education needs and disabilities.
The majority of SEND children attend mainstream schools, while those with more specific needs are entitled to additional support through education, health, and care plans (EHCPs). The committee found that there were 576,000 children with EHCPs in January 2024. However, many local authorities failed to provide EHCPs within the required 20-week timeframe, creating a “postcode lottery” that left families without the support they needed.
The report also revealed the extent of the financial pressures facing local authorities responsible for SEND funding. Overspending on their SEND budgets has left many councils with huge deficits, with 40% of councils in danger of bankruptcy next year.
The PAC has called for an urgent reform of the current “piecemeal interventions” to improve the SEND system’s sustainability, focusing on building a “culture of belonging” in mainstream schools. Responding to the report, Schools Minister Catherine McKinnell pledged to deliver the change that families with SEND children had been “crying out for” to ensure better, earlier intervention and inclusion
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
