(The Secretary of State
for Education): On 6 September 2019 I announced a
review into special educational needs and disability (SEND) and
the support available to children and young people. This will be
a cross-government review and is part of government’s commitment
to ensure that every child receives the best start in life,
including those who need additional support because they have a
special educational need or disability.
In 2014, the government introduced significant, widely supported,
reforms to improve and join-up the support that children and
young people with SEND receive. It is now time to review how that
is working, make sure that we are supporting children and young
people to reach their potential, and to take account of the lived
experience of children and young people with SEND and of their
parents. The review is about understanding what is happening
across England for children, young people and their families and
making sure money is being spent fairly, efficiently and
effectively, and that the support available to children and young
people is sustainable in future.
The review will look at:
- the evidence on how the system can provide the highest
quality support that enables children and young people with SEND
to thrive and prepare for adulthood, including employment;
- better helping parents to make decisions about what kind of
support will be best for their child;
- making sure support in different local areas is consistent,
and that high-quality support is available across the country;
- how we strike the right balance of state-funded provision
across inclusive mainstream and specialist places;
- aligning incentives and accountability for schools, colleges
and local authorities to make sure they provide the best possible
support for children and young people with SEND;
- understanding what is causing the demand for education,
health and care plans and;
- ensuring that public money is spent in an efficient,
effective and sustainable manner, placing a premium on securing
high quality outcomes for those children and young people who
need additional support.
The review will inform and support the government’s commitment to
revise and update the SEND Code of Practice before the end of
2020.
