Backing Better SEND Support

Families of children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) continue to fight a system that too often leaves them unheard and exhausted. Delays and complex processes are placing huge pressures on families and pushing councils to the brink of bankruptcy.

Any reform without children and families at its heart will fail; that is why I was pleased to attend Dingley’s Promise roundtable, which brought together specialist providers, MPs, and, most importantly, families to collectively push for practical solutions to a system that needs urgent reform.

In England, over 1.7 million pupils have SEND, with around 500,000 requiring EHC plans. We know the life-changing impact that appropriate support for children with special education needs has. Yet, we also know, just as hundreds of worried and frustrated parents in Newbury and West Berkshire know, that the current system continues to fail them.

At the roundtable, it was valuable to hear directly from those working on the frontline, and a key theme of the discussion was standardisation. Families currently face a confusing patchwork of thresholds and processes that vary between local authorities. We need a clear, national framework for SEND support in mainstream schools, so children can access help earlier and alleviate pressure on exhausted parents fighting for essential support. 

Proper inclusion in mainstream education must be central to systemic reform, which means investing in specialist training for teachers and improving early identification, so no child is left waiting. The Liberal Democrats have consistently called for bold, child-focused reform, and we welcome the Government’s £200m SEND teacher training programme announced earlier this week. However, resources must be matched with accountability and long-term cultural change.

As we look ahead to the forthcoming School’s White Paper, every delay has real consequences for families. That’s why I will continue to work with local schools, councils, and organisations like Dingley’s Promise to push for a SEND system that is fair and truly centred on children’s needs.