I know how important SEND support is to parents in East Thanet, and how badly so many children are being let down by the current system. In my recent constituent SEND survey and through my conversations with local parents and teachers, I have heard about the painful battles parents face getting support for their kids, and how schools are not getting the support and resources they need.
That’s why I have made securing changes to the SEND system one of my top priorities as an MP, including by writing to and engaging with the government about this issue on numerous occasions, and campaigning against attempts by Reform UK to restrict access to SEND transport in Kent.
As you may have seen, this week the government published its Schools White Paper on reforming the SEND system, and I strongly welcome these new measures that I believe will deliver transformative change to the system and make sure every child gets the support they need. You can watch me speaking about these reforms by clicking here.
£7 billion in additional funding for SEND support
I was deeply concerned by suggestions being made in the media that the government’s proposals to reform SEND support would be a cost-cutting exercise, rather than a genuine attempt to reform a broken system. This is something I would have strongly opposed had it been the case, so I welcome the fact these new plans actually represent a big increase in funding for SEND provision, with more than £7 billion of new money.
That includes:
- £200m to train staff to better support SEND children within mainstream schools.
- A new Inclusive Mainstream Fund with £1.6 billion in funding to nurseries, schools, and colleges to make them more inclusive.
- Every secondary school will have an inclusion base to deliver small group work for pupils that need it.
- £3.7bn to create 60,000 more specialist SEND places within mainstream schools.
- £1.8 billion in funding so that every local area can create a new Experts at Hand service to provide wrap-around support for schools, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and educational psychologists.
- New Specialist Provision Packages will set out the support children with complex needs should expect.
- These measures will in part be funded by a crackdown on rip-off SEND school fees being charged to councils by private special schools owned in some cases by private-equity investors and foreign sovereign wealth funds. New price bands will be introduced that cap the fees these schools can charge taxpayers to provide SEND support, so we can end shameless profiteering and make sure the profits these schools make are fair and proportionate.
Changes to the provision of Educational Health and Care Plans (EHCPS)
I know how important EHCPs are to many parents, and the struggles families in Thanet have faced in securing one for their child, so I would never support these being withdrawn from people. That’s why I am pleased that any changes to EHCPs will not be introduced until 2029, meaning all children in year three and above today will retain their existing EHCP until at least age 16. All children currently attending a special school will also be able to remain there.
From September 2029, pupils with complex needs will still have the right to an EHCP, while all pupils with SEND will get an Individual Support Plan (ISP) entitling them to additional support within mainstream schools. The government estimates 80% of pupils that currently qualify for an EHCP will still be entitled to one under these changes.
At present, in many cases the only way families can access an EHCP is by battling councils through tribunals to get one – a situation that serves nobody’s best interests. Families will retain their right to appeal aspects of an EHCP through tribunal, but my expectation is that the new system will mean a small fraction of these tribunals will be needed in future once all these important new support measures are in place.
Consulting with parents and schools
The government has launched a 12-week consultation on these reforms, and I will make sure that parents’ and teachers’ voices are heard as part of that consultation. I would also encourage you to make your own views known through that process. You can contribute to it by clicking here.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly if you want to share your views with me.
Targeted education support for coastal areas like Thanet
Some of you may remember that last year I launched a campaign for the government to launch what I called the ‘Coastal Challenge’, modelled on the successful London Challenge that transformed school standards and life chances for young people across the capital under the last Labour government. I’m absolutely delighted that the government has announced they are formally adopting the proposal through a new Mission Coastal education standards programme. Mission Coastal will work with schools, academy trusts, and local partners to tackle barriers to learning and strengthen the conditions that allow young people to thrive, so we can tackle the educational inequalities experienced in coastal communities.
You can read more about Mission Coastal by clicking here.
Other education reforms announced this week
In addition to the changes announced to SEND funding, the government is also taking action to rebuild our education system and make sure every child gets the best start in life after years of cuts to our education system. These changes include:
- Targeted £8 billion of disadvantage funding to close the attainment gap between the wealthiest and poorest parts of the country.
- Additional high-quality support for teachers of creative subjects through our new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, and a new oracy framework to support confidence and build public speaking skills.
- A new focus on vital life knowledge and skills in financial, media, and digital literacy.
- New entitlements for all children to access arts and culture, nature and outdoor adventure, and sport and physical activities.
- All schools with RAAC concrete structural problems will have had these problems resolved by 2029, so we can end the scandal of crumbling school buildings which built up under the last government.
Coming from a family of teachers, making sure every child gets the support they need to achieve and thrive is something I am hugely passionate about, and I am excited by the genuinely transformational impact these reforms will have across our education system.