Funding needed to tackle the SEND ‘crisis’

Labor candidate for Finchley and Golders Green Sarah Sackman is calling for more support for children with special educational needs

As the school year draws to a close, I think back to sports days, summer holidays and those fun-filled lessons at the end of term. For parents, it’s a time to reflect on what our children have accomplished and look forward to future experiences. But for parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), this time can be fraught with worry and anxiety.

These parents, like everyone else, want their children to be in the right environment, supported by expert teachers who can help them flourish. However, for the past 14 years they have felt like a forgotten tribe, left behind by successive Conservative governments. This neglect is due, not to dedicated professionals in the sector, but to political decisions that have failed to prioritize the needs of children.

Since 2019, the number of plans issued has increased by 72%, but government funding to help local authorities meet this need has increased by just 42% – a shortfall that has had a devastating effect on children everywhere. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the union of school leaders (NAHT), described the situation as a “total crisis when it comes to SEND”.

The actions of some local authorities have added insult to injury. Locally, the Tories have tried to cut funding for play programs for disabled children at Mapledown School in Cricklewood. Alongside local parents, I fought to stop Tory councilors’ proposed cuts and kept play schemes running.

However, it is not sustainable to work on a case-by-case approach. There are too many loopholes in the system. It needs reform. A 12-year-old from Finchley and Golders Green contacted me recently during a six-month period where she had no school place at all, caught in a bureaucratic nightmare as professionals argued over which organization she should pay for her secondary education. This young woman told me that even in her mainstream primary school, she had felt unwanted and unwelcome.

Parents at the door regularly tell me how sad and angry they are for their children with SEND. The current system forces many parents to use up their life savings, go into debt or even afford legal fees and additional assessments. Too many families have spent years and thousands of pounds fighting for the support their children need. This situation is unsustainable and unfair.

It is essential that the next government prioritizes support for families with SEND children as part of its education reform agenda. Labor commits in our election manifesto to find appropriate solutions. This includes increasing inclusion and expertise in mainstream schools, while ensuring sufficient places in special schools for those with the most complex needs.

Work plans to make admissions decisions reflect community needs and require all schools to co-operate with local authorities on admissions, SEND inclusion and place planning. This is a significant step forward. It’s time we had a government that tackled the disparities in accessing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and made sure local authorities met their statutory obligations.

Tackling SEND issues also involves improving access to diagnostics. Adequate resourcing of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) is essential to eliminate long delays in diagnosing autism and ADHD. A diagnosis should be the starting point for support, not the end.

Luciana Berger, who was commissioned by Labor to make recommendations for a long-term cross-government strategy for mental health, highlighted the importance of providing mental health support in every school – a commitment Labor has now made and could be transformative.

It’s not just about individual children. It is about the kind of society we want to build. We need a society where all young people have the opportunity to grow, flourish and contribute. Getting SEND provision right is essential for families today and for the long-term future of our country.

Our school days don’t necessarily have to be the best days of our lives, but they should never be the worst. Parents of all children, regardless of their needs, deserve more.

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