As reported by the Guardian, ministers have moved to calm mounting anxiety over their shake-up of special educational needs support, insisting that no child will be removed from a special school or stripped of existing help as reforms take shape
Georgia Gould, the education minister overseeing the overhaul of England’s SEND system, has faced sustained pushback from parents during a series of public meetings and online forums. Across nearly two months of consultations, families have repeatedly pressed for clarity over the fate of education, health and care plans, the legally binding documents that secure support for children with additional needs.
At a recent online event organised by the Department for Education, Gould sought to draw a clear line under those fears. No child, she said, would be told to leave their current school because of the reforms.
The government’s broader strategy is to reduce reliance on EHCPs by bolstering mainstream provision. Ministers argue that if schools are better resourced and able to provide specialist support from the outset, fewer parents will need to pursue formal legal plans to secure help.
But scepticism remains strong among campaigners and some families. While disability groups acknowledge that earlier intervention could ease pressure on the system, they warn that efforts to rein in spiralling SEND costs may sit behind the changes. At consultation events, critics have repeatedly questioned whether the reforms are driven as much by financial constraints as by a desire to improve inclusion, raising concerns that legal protections could be diluted in the process.
Be the first to comment