'Effective' SEND support won't be taken away, minister says
#SEND support #Education Secretary #Bridget Phillipson #White Paper #Individual Support Plans #EHCP reassessment #Education reform England #Special educational needs
📌 Key Takeaways
- Government promises not to withdraw effective SEND support but will reassess children's needs
- New reforms will include Individual Support Plans with legal status for all children with SEND
- Children with EHCPs will be reassessed after primary school from 2029
- The reforms come amid a crisis in the current system with rising costs
- The government faces significant financial pressures with SEND costs expected to create £6bn pressure by 2028
📖 Full Retelling
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has assured parents in England that the government will not be withdrawing 'effective support' from children with special educational needs and disabilities under planned reforms to be outlined in a White Paper published on Monday, as the current system faces significant cost pressures and is widely considered to be in crisis. The cabinet minister confirmed the government would be 'spending more money', not less, on supporting children with SEND as part of its efforts to overhaul the system, though she acknowledged that children 'will be reviewed in terms of their needs' following leaks suggesting pupils will be assessed as they move into secondary school. The full details of the government's proposed changes to SEND provision in England have been highly anticipated by parents who fear the reforms could limit the support their child receives in some way. The proposals come as the government faces mounting pressures from rising costs in a SEND system that many stakeholders describe as being in crisis, with leaks indicating that children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) will be reassessed after primary school from 2029. This reassessment will sit alongside an extension of legal rights to include all children with SEND through school-led Individual Support Plans (ISPs), which will have some kind of legal status. Phillipson emphasized that 'EHCPs will have an important role to play in the new system' and promised that 'more children will receive support' more quickly under the new arrangements, though shadow education secretary Laura Trott expressed significant concerns about the impact on families who already struggle to secure appropriate support for their children.
🏷️ Themes
Special Educational Needs, Education Reform, Government Policy, Child Welfare
📚 Related People & Topics
White paper
Preliminary document for evaluation of approach
A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 1990s, this type of document has proliferated in business.
Bridget Phillipson
British politician (born 1983)
Bridget Maeve Phillipson (born 19 December 1983) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Houghton and Sunderland South since 2010. Bo...
Entity Intersection Graph
No entity connections available yet for this article.
Original Source
'Effective' SEND support won't be taken away, minister says 6 hours ago Share Save Joshua Nevett Political reporter Share Save The government will not be withdrawing "effective support" from children with special educational needs and disabilities under its planned school reforms for England, the education secretary has said. Bridget Phillipson told the BBC the government would be "spending more money", not less, on supporting children with SEND as part of its efforts to overhaul the system. But the cabinet minister said children "will be reviewed in terms of their needs", following leaks which suggested pupils will be assessed as they move into secondary school. The full details of the government's proposed changes to SEND provision in England will be outlined in a White Paper, which will be published on Monday. The policy paper has been highly anticipated by parents who fear the reforms could mean the support their child receives could be limited in some way. The proposals in the paper come as the government faces significant pressures from the rising costs of a SEND system, widely considered to be in crisis. Leaks from the paper, reported by the BBC , suggest children with education, health and care plans - which are legal documents outlining their extra support entitlement - will be reassessed after primary school from 2029. The BBC understands this will sit alongside an extension of legal rights to include all children with SEND through school-led Individual Support Plans . Every child with identified special educational needs, including those who do not currently have an EHCP, will have an ISP drawn up by the school, which will have some kind of legal status. Phillipson told the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that "EHCPs will have an important role to play in the new system". "The assurance I can give to parents is that under the new system, more children will receive support," Phillipson said. "But they'll receive it more quickly. They'll receive it w...
Read full article at source