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:
- Jess Asato (Labour)
- Sureena Brackenbridge (Labour)
- Amanda Martin (Labour)
- Darren Paffey (Labour)
- Mark Sewards (Labour)
- Dr Marie Tidball (Labour)
- Dr Caroline Johnson (Conservative)
- Patrick Spencer (Conservative)
- Manuela Perteghella (Lib Dem)
- 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
- Staff training
- Funding
- Inclusion in mainstream schools
- Access to SEND specialists
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)
- Start SEND training when teachers are trainees.
- Independent schools play an important role.
- Children are not numbers and funding should not drive decision making.
Parent (SEN 49)
- Risk aversion can get in the way of effective support for physical difficulties.
- Schools need to be quicker to respond to new disabilities (e.g. due to brain injury).
Parent (SEN 46)
- Special Schools should offer wraparound care. Typically, they don’t and this creates hardship for parents who can’t hold down jobs (unlike parents of pupils in mainstream who can access wraparound care).
Parent (SEN 30)
- Prioritise thousands of pupils whose needs fit between mainstream and specialist.
- Provide smaller mainstream schools for pupils showing signs of sensory overload and neurodiversity.
Parent (SEN 25)
- Have stricter regulation of the independent sector.
- There remains a strong belief that parents are not the experts on their child. There needs to be a conscious effort to change this culture and narrative.
Parent (SEN 23)
- Remove responsibility for SEND from LAs completely.
- Do not put SEN Support on a statutory footing as it would create more hurdles for parents.
- Provide training on the law for schools (e.g. from IPSEA).
- Abolish private special schools.
- Abolish EHCPs in favour of a reasonable adjustment passport.
Parent (SEN 21)
- Stop money draining away via tribunals, 1:1 support and additional provision.
- Use the savings to decrease class sizes and upskill staff.
Parent (SEN 16)
- The autism education system is skewed by the views of an articulate and verbally-privileged group high up on the spectrum, who themselves largely didn’t need SEND education. This group does not represent the autistic community, certainly not at my son’s end of the spectrum (pre-verbal).
- Therefore, my son has the same diagnosis as newly-diagnosed newsreaders or celebrities, who have families and careers and acquire a diagnosis of autism in adulthood.
- It’s traits, not a disorder, for many such folk – the word autism is being stretched so far as to have become meaningless. It will be a brave government that dares to talk about over-diagnosis of autism and ADHD.
Parent (SEN 15)
- The SEND system fails everyone. A public inquiry is needed.
- Attendance and exclusion rules discriminate against or criminalise parents of disabled pupils or the pupils themselves.
Parent (SEN 14)
- SENCos and parents waste an excessive amount of time on the paperwork that has to be completed for children.
- As a single parent, working full-time with 3 children with SEND, I can’t quantify the time I have wasted filling out forms.
Parent (SEN 12)
- Shorten waiting times for EHCPs.
- Improve accountability.
Parent (SEN 08)
- Smaller schools should be the norm.
- Open schools that allow pupils to focus on their future at an earlier age choosing subjects that excite and challenge should be the norm.
- Look to Finland.
Parent (SEN 06)
- EHCP processes need improvement and more consistency.
- The government should reimburse schools for the actual cost of supporting high needs pupils.
Parent (SEN 04)
- Visit Huxley School (they are trauma informed and do flexi schooling).
- Look at the Not fine in School Facebook group.
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.
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