All children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities deserve to receive the right support to succeed in their education, and to help them achieve their goals as they move into adult life.
However, since I became an MP, I have had many conversations with local families who have told me that the system of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) isn’t working for them. They feel that the support their child needs is obvious, but can’t be provided, or tell me that the waiting list for assessments for an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), to unlock more support, is measured in months and years, not days and weeks.
That’s why I am so proud that at the end of last month the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, set out the Government’s plans to reform and transform the system so that support comes earlier, is easier to access, and works around children and families rather than forcing them to fight for help. She’s launched a consultation on an ambitious and bold vision which will see more kids getting EHCP style support without the legal fight they face today.
By investing in better-trained teachers to deliver better access to specialist expertise in mainstream settings, the Government wants the system to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and towards education that understands and includes every child. Under our plans, children with SEND will get the right support when they need it, closer to home, without parents having to battle to get the better education, and results, their kids deserve. The Government’s plans are about improving support, not removing support.
Every child who needs extra support will have a personal plan that sets out the extra help they’ll get to succeed, matched against high national standards. Every classroom will have a teacher trained to meet the needs of children with SEND, based on the latest evidence. New dedicated school funding will be there to deliver proven SEND programmes such as small-group teaching or speech and language therapies. Every secondary school will have an inclusion base where teachers can deliver additional support.
In Reading and across the country, families will be able to send their child to school with confidence, with a new ‘Experts at Hand’ package to provide more professional support such as speech and language therapists for those with speech, language and communication needs.
Whether it’s children with the most complex needs or those who just need a little extra support, we will keep what works and improve what doesn’t, building a new system and investing in new provision so that all children can achieve and thrive.
Delivering a better future for the next generation is why I came into politics, and I am so proud of the change our Government is bringing.
MP Matt Rodda is Labour MP for Reading Central
