MPs are to examine how mainstream schools can be more inclusive to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and consider alternatives to the education, health and care plan (EHCP) system.
The Commons Education Select Committee has announced today that it is launching an inquiry focused on finding solutions to the SEND provision crisis.
MPs will be looking at how mainstream schools can be made more inclusive to pupils with SEND. The inquiry will explore changes to the curriculum, define what inclusivity looks like in mainstream settings and suggest ways of improving support and training for teachers and other school staff.
Councils facing ‘parlous financial state’
The committee said that with many councils now facing “a parlous financial state due to the huge deficits accrued by spending millions a year on SEND support” it will also consider funding reforms.
Local authorities have built up large deficits in high-needs budgets that are estimated to be £3.4 billion this year.
A statutory override that keeps high-needs deficits off council books is set to end in March 2026 and experts warn that without it, more than two-fifths of authorities face effectively declaring bankruptcy.
The committee has said that it will also examine the EHCP system and “look for potential alternatives without reducing the level of support available”.
MPs will also look at the effectiveness of multi-agency working across education, health and social care, as well as considering how to make SEND provision more consistent across different local education authority areas.
Committee chair Helen Hayes MP said: “In recent years, report after report has documented the failures of the SEND system to deliver the support children and their families need. Despite the best efforts of professionals in schools and local authorities, across the country, children are being let down.”
She said that the committee wanted to move beyond “simply pointing out the problems and focus on finding solutions that are realistic and practical for the government to implement”.
‘Crisis bleeds into rest of the education system’
Ms Hayes added: “This crisis has many symptoms that bleed into the rest of the education system: from attrition in the teaching workforce to soaring levels of pupil absence.
“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.
“It’s widely accepted that many more councils could face effective bankruptcy if change doesn’t come soon.”
After being elected as committee chair in September, Ms Hayes told Tes that there was “an absence of trust in the SEND system at the moment” and indicated that this issue was likely to be a priority for MPs.
The committee will also investigate how SEND support is provided in other countries with better outcomes for children, parents and carers. During the inquiry, MPs will hear directly from young people and families about their experiences with the SEND system, as well as professionals delivering SEND support.
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