You’d think that with crises at home and abroad, the government would have enough problems to deal with, but now, it appears, they are going to pick the mother of all fights with the parents of disabled children.
According to a report from The Guardian citing sources from the Department for Education, it is planning a ‘complete recalibration’ of special educational needs (SEND) provision for schools in England and Wales so that local authorities can balance their books.
The details of that recalibration haven’t been confirmed, but as the parent of someone who needed SEND provision, I’m concerned and frankly let down by the fact the government seems to be prioritising the deficits of councils over helping kids.
Authorities have been lobbying to try and limit the parental rights to appeal, and reducing powers of tribunals to mandate provision.
That could mean that the current legal right of children is diluted, and would leave councils, rather than tribunals, directing exactly how a child’s needs are accounted for.
That’s worrying because, for many local authorities, their main concern is their bottom line. It’s parents who know what’s best for their children, and a government that has promised ‘to break down the barriers to opportunity’ for children instead risks erecting more.
If disabled or neurodivergent children don’t have the right support to allow them to do ordinary things like go to class, read a textbook, or improve their communication skills, Keir Starmer’s reported plans could curtail their life chances.
That’s not exactly sticking to Labour Party values.
My daughter is now 23, but when I read that report I thought of parents who have only recently had a diagnosis of their child’s disability.
What does the future hold for them? Has the Government just written them off to prioritise the ‘deficit’ of councils?
Parents I have spoken to across the country are in shock. They are also terrified. No detail has emerged from the Government so they are imagining the worst.
It feels disrespectful for a newspaper to find out this apparent plan to rip up the SEND system and start again before young people or charities that are on the ground providing services have been consulted.
What does ‘complete recalibration’ mean? Will new laws tighten the criteria to be given support? Is there a threat to post-18 access to colleges or training?
All of this might save money and improve council accounts in the short term but us parents know, because we’ve lived it, such cuts will only lead to greater expense down the line, when children and families reach crisis point because of lack of support.
Already parents are struggling to get their children into the right school, to get councils and the health service to agree to fund equipment, or to pay for therapies that mean they can have what every other child has – a chance to learn.
Families know that there is a shortage of money in public finances. We read the news. But we also see the waste in the system. Councils spend £100m a year fighting parents in SEND tribunals, beating families in only 1.2% of cases.
The law as it stands means children should be assessed for support if a parent, school, doctor or other specialist feels they might need extra help. Councils must carry out that assessment.
If necessary, they must work with the family, doctors, teachers and any other specialists involved with the child to create an Education, Health and Care Plan.
An EHCP is a legal document that spells out the outcomes expected of a young person, what support they need to achieve those and who is responsible for providing that support.
This law was created in 2014. It coincided with councils being hit by austerity. Schools’ funding was slashed and teaching assistants were let go.
But councils seem determined to put the blame for their financial woes directly on disabled children and their parents and these reports suggest they want to do less, not more.
Budget deficits have built up, not just because of the extra funding required for children but also from increases in adult social care needs and, in some cases, terrible investments by local authorities.
An accounting fudge called ‘the statutory override’ has allowed councils to exclude their ‘high needs’ budgets from their figures. That agreement comes to an end next March, hence the panic in the Treasury.
All of this has led to a pressure cooker environment. Parents are distressed, councils are staring at a financial cliff edge but worst of all a ‘lost generation’ of children has been created.
In my opinion, the government should be writing off these deficits.
As the Budget looms, the Government seems determined to cut costs, and I worry this ‘recalibration’ is going to hit SEND funding hard.
If this plan leads to reduced rights, it makes me feel like I have failed.
As the parent of a 23-year-old daughter with learning and physical disabilities I have fought for two decades for her and for other incredible young people like her. We don’t want much, just the very basic aspiration for our children to go to school.
Last week I visited the fantastic special needs college that my daughter will leave this year.
In the bright, sunny reception I saw a tiny dot of a girl, no older than three.
She bowled in on the smallest walking frame I have ever seen. Her parents walked proudly behind her, having come in for an assessment.
I wonder if she will even get a place at this terrific school if budgets are cut. I wonder if she will receive the support she needs to flourish. I wonder how much pain the Government will put her family through.
I urge the Secretary of State for Education to understand that children need a truly inclusive education, whether that’s in mainstream or special schools, with well-trained staff.
Families need help. The needs of children are more important than council balance sheets.
On behalf of my daughter and others like her – please reconsider.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk.
Share your views in the comments below.
MORE: I’m living in the US – I’m stunned by Americans’ attitudes to Ukraine
MORE: Lily Collins defended against ‘vicious comments’ after backlash to photo with baby
MORE: I fear MasterChef is about to make another fatal mistake