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Committee publishes Government response to 2019 report
on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
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Report by predecessor Committee warned that generation
of young people with SEND failing to receive the support it
deserves
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Committee to follow-up with Secretary of State after
summer recess
The Education Committee has today published the Government
response to the report on special educational needs
and disabilities (SEND).
The report, published by the
Committee of the last Parliament in October 2019,
followed an 18-month inquiry into Government reforms aimed at
placing children and young people at the heart of the SEND
system.
It concluded that while the reforms to the support for children
and young people contained in the Children and Families Act 2014
were the right ones,
poor implementation has put local authorities under pressure,
left schools struggling to cope and, ultimately, thrown families
into crisis.
The Committee has agreed to undertake further work on SEND and
follow-up the Government response with the Secretary of State
when Parliament returns after the summer recess.
Rt Hon , Chair of the Education Committee, said:
“With more than 700 submissions from children, families and
others, the Committee’s examination of the SEND system in the
last Parliament was one of the largest and widest-ranging
inquiries ever undertaken by a select committee and highlighted
how a generation of children and young people is being
failed.
The response from Ministers is more than six months overdue
so we are publishing it without further delay as hundreds of
families, teachers, children and others who contributed to our
work - and thousands more across the country - will have been
waiting to hear how the Government intends to fix the flaws that
lead to many young people missing out on the support they
need.
I am pleased the Government recognises the system ‘must
improve’, as it is clear that many of the provisions for those
with SEND are not working as they should be. The legislation had
good intentions but has just not worked in practice. Families
continue to face a treacle of bureaucracy, a postcode lottery of
provision, buck-passing and confusion in a system that
breeds conflict.
The Committee will consider the Government’s response in
detail over the coming weeks and will be following-up with the
Secretary of State in the autumn. The coronavirus
pandemic has brought new challenges for young people with SEND.
Our committee will continue to be a voice for children and
families to ensure they receive the support they both need and
deserve.”
Earlier this month, the
Committee wrote to Children’s Minister , following
an evidence
sessionon the impact of COVID-19 on families and
children with SEND.
