Bridget Phillipson MP: 'We are investing in new provision so all children can achieve and thrive'
Week after week I hear from parents and carers, in our community and across the country, about how the system for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) isn’t working.
How the support their child needs is obvious, but isn’t being provided. How the waiting list for assessments for an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), to unlock more support, is measured in months and years, not days and weeks.
Of all the things in our country which the Conservatives left behind in crisis, SEND is the one that again and again breaks my heart.
That’s why I am so proud to have set out the Labour government’s plans to reform and transform the system so that support comes earlier, is easier to access, and works around children and families, rather than forcing them to fight for help.
We have launched a consultation on an ambitious and bold vision which will see more children getting EHCP-style support without the legal fight they face today.
By investing in better-trained teachers and staff to deliver better access to specialist expertise in mainstream settings, Labour wants the system to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and towards education that understands and includes every child.
Under our plans, children with SEND will get the right support when they need it, closer to home, without parents having to battle to get the better education – and results – their kids deserve.
Labour’s plans are about improving support, not removing support. Every child who needs extra support will have a personal plan, that sets out the extra help they’ll get to succeed, matched against high national standards. Every classroom will have a teacher trained to meet the needs of children with SEND, based on the latest evidence.
New dedicated school funding will be there to deliver proven SEND programmes, such as small-group teaching or speech and language support. Every secondary school will have an inclusion base where young people can access specialist support.
And in every corner of the country, families will be able to send their child to school with confidence, with a new ‘Experts at Hand’ package to provide more professional support, like speech and language therapists for those with speech, language and communication needs.
Whether it’s children with the most complex needs or those who just need a little extra support, we will keep what works and improve what doesn’t, building a new system and investing in new provision so that all children can achieve and thrive.
Delivering a better future for the next generation is why I came into politics, and I am so proud of the change our Labour government is bringing.