WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols is seeking the views of her constituents over proposed SEND reforms after the Government announced a £4b investment over the next three years.
The Government has recently announced a consultation on its SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) reforms and is encouraging all parents, teachers, and anyone else concerned to take part.
Across the country, schools, teachers and families are working hard to meet children’s needs. But they are swimming upstream against a broken and ever more costly system. This is leaving children with special educational needs without the support they deserve.
Where SEND provision is in place locally, services can be overstretched. This means children are not getting the support they need, and teachers are being overworked. Where it is not available locally at all, parents have to send their children miles away, often to a privately run school, which costs twice as much as a state-run school.
Therefore, the Government is proposing to reform the SEND system through £4bn investment over the next three years. Reforms will not come in right away, and will be introduced after speaking with parents and teachers about what they need.
These reforms include:
– Allowing existing local schools to expand their SEND offering, keeping children closer to home and allowing mainstream public schools to provide more support for children up-front, without the battle for an EHCP.
– New Targeted and Targeted Plus layers of support will ensure children get the right help in mainstream settings. Every child receiving Targeted or Specialist support will have a digital Individual Support Plan (ISP).
– Families will be able to send their child to school with confidence, with Experts at Hand to provide more professional support like speech and language therapists for those with speech, language and communication needs.
Ms Nichols said: “For too long, children and family have been held back by an education system that doesn’t work for them. I believe all children deserve the support they need to learn and prepare them for the future.
“The SEND system, designed a decade ago for a small number of children, is now at breaking point. That’s led to parents having to fight tooth and nail for entitlements on paper that don’t see them getting additional support – and children’s lives and chances have suffered as a result.
“I am pleased the Government is committed to doing something about this, but it is important that I hear from parents and teachers alike before considering legislation. Therefore, I encourage anyone concerned to complete the Government’s consultation.”
The Government’s consultation closes on the 18th May, it can be responded to by CLICKING HERE
To register your interest in Charlotte Nichols MP’s roundtable (TBC) and share your views with her, please see Charlotte’s website:
https://www.charlottenicholsmp.com/survey/sendreforms2026/
