Solving the SEND Crisis: The first wave of evidence

Solving the Special Educational Needs (SEND) Crisis is an inquiry by the Education Select Committee. The first wave of written evidence has now been released. This article summarises what the inquiry is and what parents are saying so far.

To discover out what professionals have been saying, you can read a summary of the first responses from schools, SENCos and SEN Managers.

What is the Solving the SEND Crisis inquiry about?

A number of recent reports point to a crisis in the SEND system. Therefore, the inquiry focuses on achieving both short term stability and long-term sustainability in the SEND system so that experiences and outcomes for children become better.

Who can give evidence to the SEND Inquiry?

Anyone. Schools, families, external experts, charities… The call for evidence opened in December 2024 and the closing date is 6th February 2025. It’s not complex – word documents can be submitted answering any of their questions.

Which MPs are on the inquiry?

Helen Hayes MP is the Chair of the Inquiry. Helen is a Labour MP who was first elected in 2015 and who served as the Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years (2021 – 2024). Both of these roles have introduced her to the tensions that are found in the SEND system.

The committee includes ten other MPs:

  1. Jess Asato (Labour)
  2. Sureena Brackenbridge (Labour)
  3. Amanda Martin (Labour)
  4. Darren Paffey (Labour)
  5. Mark Sewards (Labour)
  6. Dr Marie Tidball (Labour)
  7. Dr Caroline Johnson (Conservative)
  8. Patrick Spencer (Conservative)
  9. Manuela Perteghella (Lib Dem)
  10. Caroline Voaden (Lib Dem)

The committee have varied backgrounds and include former teachers, disability and health campaigners.

What have parents said to the SEND Inquiry so far?

Common themes are

So that we can clearly see the less well-voiced ideas, those themes are excluded from the following list.

No parent asks for more paper, but they do want the existing paper to work harder (e.g. better EHCP usage or quicker referrals).

Here’s a summary of parental responses so far. NB: Codes in brackets (e.g. SEN 51) refer to the select committee’s evidence site where you can find the full submissions.

Parent and teacher trainer (SEN 51)

Parent (SEN 49)

Parent (SEN 46)

Parent (SEN 30)

Parent (SEN 25)

Parent (SEN 23)

Parent (SEN 21)

Parent (SEN 16)

Parent (SEN 15)

Parent (SEN 14)

Parent (SEN 12)

Parent (SEN 08)

Parent (SEN 06)

Parent (SEN 04)

Solving the SEND Crisis: What have parent charities said so far?

Notably, the first wave of evidence is from individuals or smaller organisations. The inquiry has not published any evidence from parent organisations or charities yet. However, bigger organisations often have longer chains of decision making and it is likely that their submissions are in the pipeline.

Solving the SEND Crisis: What happens next?

Until 30th January 2025, interested parties can make submissions. After this, the next step is oral evidence sessions which allow the committee’s MPs to explore the ideas that have been submitted. Finally, the MPs will publish a Solving the SEND Crisis report for the government to respond to. Many people see SEND as an urgent issue and, whilst the response may come in the summer term, it might not arrive until early autumn.

Need help with SEND in your council, trust or school? If so, get in touch.

  • Aaron King, Director

    With over 20 years experience of working with children & young people in both mainstream and SEND settings, Aaron King is the driving force behind 9000lives.

    Aaron has written for the TES, including in the Leadership & Governance sections. He has also been a school governor for around 15 years.

  • Aaron King

    Aaron King Director

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