Parents frustrated by the multiple failings of England’s special educational needs and disability (SEND) system have been warned it is not realistic to expect quick improvements, as MPs have announced another inquiry into the crisis.
MPs on the cross-party education committee at Westminster say the latest inquiry will try to find practical solutions rather than simply pointing out the problems. The previous report, which covered 18 months, was published in 2019.
Labor MP Helen Hayes, who chairs the latest iteration of the committee, said she knew this was “probably the deepest crisis” in the entire education and children’s services sector.
“We know there has been a lot of analysis of this issue,” he said. “What we are hoping to do is focus on where improvement is needed, what good practice might look like and where we can learn lessons.”
Tania Tiraro, founder and co-director of Special Needs Jungle, which provides information and resources for families affected by SEND, expressed disappointment at another inquiry. “Why don’t they read what everyone else has said? There’s nothing that will improve things right now – the problem is still there.”
Speaking before the inquiry began on Friday, Hayes said: “This is a huge job. If this problem were easy to solve then it would not be such a deep crisis. “The current situation is neither sustainable nor acceptable.”
Asked how long it might take to change the system, she said she was optimistic that solutions could be found, but added: “I don’t think it’s realistic to say that transformational change can happen very quickly. “
Hayes painted a bleak picture of the state of SEND services across the country, with trust broken down between parents and local authorities, children out of school and not getting the support they need, headteachers in tears Because they cannot meet the needs of children and MPs are undergoing surgery. Full of distraught parents.
“There’s such a sense of responsibility that we have throughout the House of Commons,” Hayes said. “MPs see the consequences of a system that is not working every day.
“None of us have ever faced the reality of these stories of families that are failing, of children whose childhoods are spent struggling all the time just to get the support that should be there for them, that responsibility. Can ignore. We have to do better.”
The committee plans to focus on how to stabilize the system in the short term, looking at every stage of education, from the early years up to the age of 25, and achieve long-term sustainability with improved outcomes for children and young people How to get it.
As part of their investigation they will look at systems for supporting children with special educational needs in other countries, including Canada, where satisfaction levels among families are high, and the Scandinavian countries.
The committee will also examine how mainstream schools can be more inclusive of children with SEND, including through changes to the curriculum and improving support and training for teachers.
They will consider how to increase capacity and with many councils running huge deficits due to the rising costs of SEND, the committee will consider reforms to the way SEND is funded, and what happens when there is a statutory override. is, a fraud that keeps deficits off local authority books, expiring in 2026.
MPs will also examine possible options for education, health and care plans – legally binding documents which detail a child’s additional needs, but “without reducing the level of support available”.
“There are many symptoms of this crisis that are hurting the rest of the education system, from declines in the teaching workforce to rising levels of student absenteeism,” Hayes said.
“There are also symptoms which strain the budgets of local councils – ever-increasing expenditure on taking pupils to places far from where they live, and the chaos of money in tribunals in which parents hope to win. It is widely accepted that many more councils may face effective bankruptcy if change does not happen soon.
“There is absolute clarity that as a country we cannot continue this endless cycle of failure. It will take years of careful reform to turn this ship around, but the cross-party Education Committee will play our part by making evidence-based recommendations that the government can implement.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are committed to rebuilding the trust of families across the country and delivering the change they are demanding, and we will work closely with the Education Select Committee to do this.
“We are already making progress, with an additional investment of £1 billion in everyday services, £740 million to support local authorities to create more specialist places in mainstream schools and curriculum and assessment reviews that ensure children Will focus on the obstacles holding us back from the best life opportunities.