Ministers have also said that funding is to be diverted away from independent special needs schools, in a move aimed at making mainstream schools more "inclusive" and curbing spending on SEND. Commenting on the proposals, Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said: "Tens of thousands of young people with SEND depend on independent special schools to meet their needs and provide the best possible education and care. From small charity-run schools at the heart of their communities, to large specialist providers working with young people with complex disabilities and medical conditions, the expertise required in so many cases of individualised care inevitably carries a cost." She added: "Despite strong rhetoric about independent special schools in the media, the government's proposals lack essential detail. It is imperative that the government provides clarity about these changes for families who rely on specialist care and support for their children." By Eleanor Harding and James Tapsfield, Daily Mail.
Only pupils with the most complex SEND requirements will be eligible for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) from 2035 in England, the government has said. Children who already have an EHCP will be able to keep it until at least September 2029, when support entitlements are to be reassessed at the end of primary school and GCSEs. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said plans would make mainstream schools more inclusive and "deliver better life chances for children". By Hazel Shearing, BBC News.
iNews looks in detail at the government's plans, and reports that from September 2029, the majority of pupils with SEND in mainstream schools are expected to have an individual support plan (ISP). These will be digital passports containing information about a child’s additional needs, and schools will have a "duty" to produce an ISP for any child with SEND, the government has said. The paper adds that children with conditions on the spectrum, such as autism and ADHD, could lose specialist support. Under the new system, specialist provision packages (SPPs) will become the gateway to an EHCP, and pupils on the spectrum will not necessarily be eligible for the same SPP, as the system will no longer be diagnosis-led. By Connie Dimsdale.
iNews talks to a number of parents who share their views on the proposed SEND reforms. Among them is Julia May-Brown, who has spent more than a year battling for an EHCP for her daughter, who is autistic and has ADHD. Describing the process as "traumatic", she says: "You feel like you’re battling the whole time. There’s so much red tape - it feels like the system is designed to try and put you off." By Flora Symington and Alannah Francis.
In a lengthy Tes article, sector experts give their reactions to the government's new plans for education. That so much change is being proposed at all is something to celebrate, says Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders: "Five years ago, SEND was an afterthought. The fact that it’s a priority now is really important, and we mustn’t lose sight of that." By Ellen Peirson-Hagger and Helen Amass.
The Guardian features an analysis piece looking at whether ministers will be able to convince families to have faith in their proposed SEND changes. By Jessica Elgot.
A summary of the key changes being made to the SEND system has been provided by numerous news outlets, including BBC News, by Hazel Shearing; The Times, by Georgia Lambert and Nicola Woolcock; Tes, by Cerys Turner, and Schools Week, by Lydia Chantler-Hicks and Jack Dyson.
