UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A cross-party has launched a new inquiry into England’s SEND crisis, focusing on tackling the issues, but MPs caution that major reform will take time.
MPs said they have initiated this new inquiry amid growing parental frustration with the SEND system.
The cross-party education committee MPs say the inquiry will focus on finding realistic solutions rather than highlighting the flaws.
Helen Hayes, the Labour MP leading the committee, stated that recognized this as “probably the deepest crisis” in the education and children’s support services.
The co-director and founder of Special Needs Jungle expressed her disappointment over the new inquiry, adding, “Why don’t they just read what everybody else has said? It’s nothing that’s going to improve things right now – right now is where the problem is.”
The cross-party Committee plans to stabilize the system in the short term while working toward long-term sustainable solutions, and better outcomes for young people and children.
The Committee will examine strategies for mainstream schools to better support children with SEND, including revising the curriculum, setting clear standards for inclusion, and enhancing training and support for educators.
MPs will also review the EHC Plan framework and explore alternatives that maintain support standards. Alongside, they will evaluate the efficiency of joint efforts between education, health and social care agencies.
Ahead of the inquiry’s launch on Friday, Helen Hayes remarked, “It’s a huge task. If this task was easy to solve, it would not be such a deep crisis. The situation as it is at the moment is not sustainable, neither is it acceptable.”
When asked about the timeline for changing the system, she expressed hope for solutions but warned that improvements would take time.
Ms Hayes depicted a critical state of SEND services, highlighting distrust between authorities and parents, lack of essential support for children, and frustration between headteachers and families.
She highlighted the shared responsibility within the House of Commons to resolve the issues, with MPs observing its negative impact daily basis.
The inquiry will explore how other countries, like Canada and those in Scandinavia, provide support to children with special educational needs, which has led to better outcomes for families in these regions.
The committee will focus on steps to increase capacity and tackle the growing deficits in councils due to rising SEND costs, including funding reforms and the expiration of the statutory override in 2026.
The chair of the committee, Helen Hayes stated, “There are also symptoms which blight local councils’ budgets – ever-increasing spending on transporting pupils to settings far from where they live, and the chaos of money being poured into tribunals that parents are expected to win.”
She added, “It’s widely accepted that many more councils could face effective bankruptcy if change doesn’t come soon.”
According to the Department for Education, they are focused on rebuilding trust with families and delivering the required changes, in cooperation with the education select committee.
A spokesperson from the education department said, “We are already making progress, with £1bn extra investment in day-to-day services, £740m directed to support local authorities to create more specialist places in mainstream schools and the curriculum and assessment review which will look at barriers that hold children back from the best life chances.”