Special educational needs reforms take effect

By The Press Association1st September 2014News EnglandDisabilities, News England, Special Education Needs / Disabilities

A new system of support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) comes into effect today.

The new education, health and care plans, which stretch from birth to 25, will replace SEND statements and learning disability assessments as part of a “simpler and more joined up” system in England.

The system will also give parents and children a greater say in the support they receive, with the option of a personal budget and the right to express a preference to attend a greater range of schools.

The reforms follow the Children and Families Act becoming law earlier this year.

Children and families minister Edward Timpson said: “Today is a landmark moment in improving the lives of children with SEND and their families. These reforms put children and parents at the heart of the system.

“For too long, families have found themselves battling against a complex and fragmented system. These reforms ensure support fits in with their needs and not the other way round – they will result in a simpler and more joined up system that focuses on children achieving their best.

“This is the beginning of a journey, and the vast majority of local authorities have told us they are ready and parents have been supportive over the changes.”

Under the measures councils will be required to publish a “local offer” showing the support available to all disabled children, young people and their families.

A new legal right will allow people with an education, health and care plan to express a preference to attend an academy, free school or FE college, rather than just the previous options of maintained mainstream or special schools.

The system will also introduce mediation for disputes with the authorities and trial giving the right to appeal to people unhappy with the support they receive.

TV singing coach Carrie Grant, who has four children with a range of SENDs, said the reforms will improve the relationship between schools and parents.

She said: “Working together with the teachers hopefully will mean that the relationship that can be built up will ultimately mean that the child is right at the centre; the child is the one that matters. We want the right outcomes for our children.

“We want to know that when our children go to school of course they are taken care of, looked after, kept safe, but we also want to know that they can do everything that they could possibly do to reach their full potential whatever that potential may ultimately be. That they are thought of not as a burden but our children are thought of as an asset.

“The reforms support that; the reforms actually help the parent to be brought in, understood hopefully by the school, listened to and together working together to make sure that that child’s school experience is the best that it can possibly be.”