Government launches SEND green paper

The Government has been criticised for the long delay in publishing the green paper, which is its response to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) review, launched in 2019.

The green paper sets out plans to reform the system to make it easier for parents to access the support they need through a ‘new national plan to level up opportunities, with a key focus on ending the postcode lottery that leaves too many with worse outcomes than their peers’, said ministers. 

The Government said the paper has been written in response to feedback from the experiences and insight of hundreds of children and young people, their families, sector organisations, teachers and partners.

It said the new proposals would ‘introduce new standards in the quality of support given to children across education, health and care’ and that the plans were backed by £70 million in new funding, building on £9 bn government investment in local authority high needs budgets next year and £2.6 billion for new places for children with SEND over the next three years.

The plans to reform the system will be open for a 13-week public consultation, giving families frustrated by the existing, complicated and bureaucratic system of support the opportunity to shape how a new system will work in the future - and give them confidence that their local school will meet their children’s needs so they can achieve their full potential. 

The proposals include a simplified Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) through digitising plans to make them more flexible, reducing bureaucracy and supporting parents to make informed choices via a list of appropriate placements tailored to their child’s needs, meaning less time spent researching the right school.

There will also be a new legal requirement for councils to introduce ‘local inclusion plans’ that bring together early years, schools and post-16 education with health and care services, giving system partners more certainty on who is responsible and when. 

The Government said that it would improve oversight and transparency through the publication of new ‘local inclusion dashboards’ to make roles and responsibilities of all partners within the system clearer for parents and young people, helping to drive better outcomes.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said, ‘Every child has the right to excellent education - particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities, who often need the most support.

‘We are launching this consultation because too often this isn’t the case. We want to end the postcode lottery of uncertainty and poor accountability that exists for too many families, boost confidence in the system across the board and increase local mainstream and specialist education to give parents better choice. 

‘I want to make sure everyone knows what to expect, when to expect it and where the support should come from. I know there are strongly held views and I want to hear from as many parents, teachers and children with experience of the system so they can help shape a future policy that works for them.' 

Other details from the green paper include plans for:  

• A new national framework for councils for banding and tariffsof High Needs, to match the national standards and offer clarity on the level of support expected, and put the system on a financially sustainable footing in the future; 
• Changing the culture and practice in mainstream educationto be more inclusive and better at identifying and supporting needs, including through earlier intervention and improved targeted support; 
• Improving workforce trainingthrough the introduction of a new SENCo NPQ for school SENCos and increasing the number of staff with an accredited level 3 qualification in early years settings; and
• A reformed and integrated role for alternative provision (AP),with a new delivery model in every local area focused on early intervention. AP will form an integral part of local SEND systems with improvements to settings and more funding stability.  

Dame Christine Lenehan, director of the Council for Disabled Children, said, ‘I am very happy to welcome this green paper. It shows that Government has listened to the frustration across the sector and the toll that has taken on parents, children and professionals alike. 

‘The green paper proposes a welcome framework for change which should support children and families getting the services and support they need close to home. However, this is just a framework and so the consultation response to it will be key as it develops into a programme that delivers the change we need to see.  We hope that everyone takes the opportunity to respond and support that happening.’

Dame Rachel de Souza, children’s commissioner for England, said, ‘I really welcome the Special Educational Needs and Alternative Provision Green Paper, in particular the focus on children’s experiences and outcomes. We know from the largest-ever survey of over half a million children ‘The Big Ask’ that children with Special Educational Needs or a disability, were ambitious for their future and for themselves.’

Annamarie Hassall, nasen CEO and Chair of Whole School SEND, said, 'The release of the SEND and AP green paper represents a pivotal moment and we recognise the hard work that has gone into the process so far. nasen will play a key role in engaging members of the workforce to respond to the consultation.

'We currently face the sad reality that, despite there being lots of excellent practice for SEND in education, our system remains fragile, and has been for years. It has been pushed further to the brink by a long and brutal pandemic, resulting in a staggering impact on the mental health of children and young people, increased absences from school, and a stretched workforce that has operated above and beyond to support children and their families in these challenging times.'

Commenting on the plans, Unison head of education Mike Short, said, ‘The commitments are welcome, but much of this has been said before. What’s needed is proper funding to put these measures into practice.

‘Thousands of children are being let down because parents and schools struggle to access the support that’s required in good time.

‘To have any hope of improving the system, the government must tackle the huge shortage of teaching assistants and other support staff who barely get a mention in the green paper.

‘TAs with appropriate training underpin all schools’ work with pupils who have special educational needs. Unless they’re paid significantly more, recruiting them in sufficient numbers won’t improve any time soon.’

Bridget Phillipson MP, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said, ‘This paper has been delayed three times, taken nearly 1,000 days to put together, yet it still fails to deliver the transformation in support needed to change this picture. And it precedes another consultation and another delay in getting support to children.

‘Warm words on early intervention are not good enough when affordable early childcare is unavailable to most parents, so children’s’ needs are not getting picked-up.’