Vicky Ford, the Children and Families Minister gave a speech on the 8th July to the Association of Directors of Children’s Services. In that speech she addressed the current review of SEND provision:
“I would like to turn now to the SEND Review as I know many of you will want to know how we’re getting on with this piece of work.
We know systemic change is needed across education, health and care if we are to improve outcomes, and better prepare young people with SEND effectively for adult life.
We know the SEND system does not identify and respond to need quickly enough and is driving an adversarial climate where parents only feel confident their child will get the same opportunities as every other pupil through an EHCP (Education Health and Care Plan), which in turn is driving up unsustainable pressure on budgets.
The pandemic has inevitably slowed the pace of this crucial review, but more importantly, as the HMCI spoke about last month, it has materially changed the context the SEND system is operating in. We need to take the time to get this right and to ensure we are designing a system which is protected against unintended consequences.
The Review team and I will continue to work closely with ADCS and other sector and system leaders, at pace over the coming months so we are in a strong position to publish bold proposals for public consultation as soon as possible.”
So, we continue to await the findings of the review – SEN Magazine will continue to monitor the progress of this important initiative.
