Finding solutions to the SEND provision crisis

An inquiry has been launched by the Education Committee which is focused on finding solutions to the crisis in special educational needs and disabilities provision. We examine what areas will be focused on

A parliamentary inquiry has been launched to find new solutions to the growing crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision.

 The cross-party Committee will focus on how to stabilise the system in the short term, and how to achieve long term sustainability with improved outcomes for children and young people. 

The Committee will look at how mainstream schools and other educational settings can be more inclusive to children with SEND by providing high quality support, including changes to the curriculum, defining what inclusivity looks like in mainstream settings, and improving support and training for education practitioners.  

Education Committee Chair Helen Hayes MP believes that children are being let down, saying that the Committee wants to “move beyond simply pointing out the problems and focus on finding solutions that are realistic and practical for the Government to implement”.

The inquiry closes on Thursday 30 January 2025. Here we look at what areas the Committee will be examining.

Increasing capacity

A major focus of the inquiry is to find ways to increase the capacity of SEND provision, including assessing ways to help local councils plan sufficient SEND school places and examining capital investment in this area.

Demand for SEND support has risen dramatically in recent years. The National Audit Office (NAO) says that between 2015 and 2024 there was a 140 per cent increase (to 576,000) in children with an EHCP alone.

What’s more, DfE figures in March showed that there were around 4,000 more pupils on roll in special schools than there was reportedly capacity for, with around two-thirds of special schools over-subscribed or full.

The inquiry asks what changes are needed so that local education authorities can effectively plan for SEND school places and to deliver new SEND schools.

It also asks how specialist provision which may be beyond the capacity of individual local authorities can best be provided and commissioned.

Finance

With many councils facing a precarious financial state due to the huge deficits accrued by spending millions a year on SEND support, and with the statutory override due to end in 2026, the Education Committee will consider reforms to the way SEND is funded.

The inquiry asks what funding is needed for early identification of SEND, including in Early Years settings, and what actions or reforms are needed to achieve financial stability both in the short and longer term, across the SEND system.

The statutory override is currently due to end in March 2026. The inquiry asks what interventions local authorities need leading up to March 2026 and what local authorities would like to see beyond March 2026 to ensure long term financial sustainability.

The Committee will also consider how excess profit-making in the independent sector can be tackled without endangering current provision.

Education Health and Care (EHC) Plans

MPs will examine the Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan system and look for potential alternatives without reducing the level of support available. They will also look at the effectiveness of multi-agency working across education, health and social care.  

The inquiry asks questions on how waiting times for EHC Plans can be improved, and what can be done to support parents, carers and children or young people before, during and after the EHC Plan process. The committee also want to consider what alternatives there are to the EHC Plan process.

With varying quality of provision across the country, the Committee will consider how to make provision more consistent between local authority areas. 

Best Practice

The inquiry also seeks to find examples of replicable best practice, as well as how SEND support is provided in other countries with better outcomes for children, parents and carers.

Evidence will also be sought on how Ofsted’s accountability measures can be made more effective. Specifically, it asks what Ofsted’s new ‘inclusion’ criterion for the inspection of mainstream schools look like, and how Area SEND inspections of local authorities can be made more effective.

Change needs to happen

During the inquiry, MPs will hear directly from young people and families about their experiences with the SEND system as well as professionals delivering SEND support.

Education Committee Chair Helen Hayes MP said: “This crisis has many symptoms that bleed into the rest of the education system: from attrition in the teaching workforce to soaring levels of pupil absence. There are also symptoms which blight local councils’ budgets – ever increasing spending on transporting pupils to settings far from where they live, and the chaos of money being poured into tribunals that parents are expected to win. It’s widely accepted that many more councils could face effective bankruptcy if change doesn’t come soon.

 “There is absolute clarity that as a country we can’t continue with this endless cycle of failure. Turning this ship around will likely take years of careful reform, but the cross-party Education Committee will play our part by making evidence-based recommendations that the government can implement.”