This report by the Public Accounts Committee concludes that the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision in England requires urgent reform, and that the existing SEND system is inconsistent, inequitable and not delivering in line with expectations.
According to the report, while a 140% increase in children’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans between 2015 and January 2024 has added further strain to what it calls a struggling system.
The report also highlighted other concerns, including:
- The DfE’s lack of data and targets, as well as a clear, costed plan, to help reform the system.
- No clear understanding in the DfE of what is meant by ‘inclusive education’, a core strand of its approach, or how it will be achieved.
- The lack of financial sustainability of the current system.
The report says the system to support children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) in England is reaching crisis point.
Despite a 58% increase in the Department for Education’s high needs funding over the last decade, funding has not kept pace with demand following a 140% increase in the number of children with education, health and care (EHC) plans.