Responding to the Education Select Committee review of support for
children with special educational needs (SEND), Cllr , Chair of the Local
Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:
“This report supports our long-term concerns that the
services for children with special education needs have reached a
tipping point.
“Extra funding for SEND services next year is recognition
of these pressures and will help councils in meeting demand for
support next year, but we agree with the Committee that system
reform is necessary alongside additional funding.
“We are pleased that MPs have also echoed our call for
Ofsted to assess inclusion by schools – rather than focussing
primarily on academic results - during an inspection and hold
schools with low numbers of children with SEND to
account..
“Councils support the reforms set out in the Children and
Families Act in 2014, but we were clear at the time that the cost
of implementing them had been underestimated by the
Government.
“Since the introduction of the Act, which extended
eligibility for SEND support, councils have seen a near 50 per
cent rise in children and young people with Education, Health and
Care plans– which state the support a child with SEND can
receive. There are currently 354,000 pupils with EHCPs, and is a
11 per cent increase since last year alone, Government funding
has simply not kept up with the increased demand.
“Councils want to work with the Government and families and
children with SEND to make the system work more effectively for
everyone.”
