Here's what MP Bridget Phillipson said at unveiling of new £4bn package for children with special needs
Sunderland MP Bridget Phillipson has pledged to “take away that fight that so many parents face” in getting their child the support their special educational need or disability requires.
The Education Secretary made the pledge whilst unveiling the Government’s £4 billion investment in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system in England to “make it more inclusive”.
The proposed plan will look to gradually reduce the number of SEND children with Educational Healthcare Plans (EHCPs) which are currently required to enable children to access support.
Some of these pupils will be given Individual Support Plans (ISPs), which have multiple tiers of support – targeted and targeted plus. Crucially, children will not need to have a diagnosis to access these.
Ms Phillipson said: “Some autistic children do need specialist provision. For some children with autism, with the right level of support within mainstream they can thrive and can achieve.
“This is dependent on individual need, not an arbitrary definition. The assurance I can give to parents is that under the new system, more children will receive support.
"But they'll receive it more quickly. They'll receive it when they need it and where they need it. EHCPs for children with the most complex needs will stay, guided by nationally-defined and evidence-based specialist provision packages.
“But parents won't have to fight so hard to get support through an EHCP."
The number of EHCPs issued has been soaring and stood at 638,745 as of January 2025 for young people aged up to 25, up from 353,995 in 2019, which has led to spiralling costs for councils and large deficits.
Under Government projections, around one in eight children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who currently have an EHCP will transition to new plans between 2030 and 2035.
While the percentage of pupils with an EHCP is predicted to keep rising until 2029/30, the Department for Education (DfE) has estimated it will drop to around 4.7% by 2034/35.
This would be down from 5.8% currently for 2025/26.
Children in year three or above currently will keep their EHCP until at least age 16.
Those in year two or below will be reassessed when they transition to year seven.
Ms Phillipson said the plans will take children with Send “from side-lined and excluded to seen, heard and included”.