Thank you to those constituents who have contacted me regarding reform of the SEND system. I want all children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), to receive the support they need to allow them to succeed in education and thrive in adult life. Unfortunately, children and families have been let down by the system and teachers have not been provided with the support they need to meet the needs of all students. No child should be left behind and I support reforming the system so children with SEND are at the heart of our education system. I understand the concerns raised, but I can assure you that there will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with SEND.

There are four key principles guiding the Government’s work. Firstly, the voices of children, young people and their families must be at the forefront of any reform. Secondly, children should get support when they need it, as early as possible. Thirdly, investment must be focused within our communities, so children do not have to travel far from their families and homes. Finally, support for young people should not just be in school, but through wider support services.

I believe that making mainstream schools more inclusive is essential, particularly since most children with SEND attend such schools. I welcome the Government’s £740 million investment to create 10,000 new school places for children with SEND, which will be used to deliver adaptations to mainstream schools. Currently, fewer than one in ten mainstream schools have facilities to provide specialist support for students with SEND. This funding will transform mainstream environments to better support all pupils. It is estimated that at least 15,000 more children and young people could have their needs met through specialist provision in mainstream schools as part of an improved SEND system.

I also support the £22 million investment into the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme, which deploys both health and education specialists in mainstream primary schools with the aim of building staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children. It is currently being evaluated, and this will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children.

Further details of the Government’s plan for SEND reform will be outlined in the schools White Paper later on in the autumn.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue.

Best wishes

Rt Hon Hilary Benn
MP for Leeds South
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland