SEND reforms welcomed – but can’t come soon enough

A former cabinet member has welcomed SEND reforms announced by the government – but says they can’t come soon enough for Worcestershire.

A schools white paper published today (Monday, February 23) says by 2035 education, health and care plans (EHCPs) will be reserved for children with the most complex specialist needs.

Other children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will be given individual support plans (ISPs).

The number of children with EHCPs has risen sharply in recent years – there are more than 7,000 in Worcestershire alone – putting “unsustainable” pressure on council finances.

The government says its reforms to the SEND system will mean fewer EHCPs will be issued over time.

Mike Rouse, Worcestershire County Council’s highways chief from 2022 to 2024, said: “I broadly welcome this announcement.

“The EHCP system, as it has operated in recent years, has been unsustainable with a very real and measurable impact on council finances.

“Home to School Transport is one of the clearest examples of that. When a child receives an EHCP with a transport component perhaps because they cannot travel on a public bus, the council is legally obligated to provide a private taxi.

“In some cases, that same family has also been awarded a Motability vehicle. The council has no power to refuse.”

Mr Rouse said the council’s home to school transport bill has almost tripled since 2021, largely due to EHCPS with a transport component.

“We all know Worcestershire County Council is on the verge of bankruptcy,” he said. “The council has applied for £71.9m in exceptional financial support from the government, has warned publicly that it may have to issue a Section 114 notice if that support is refused, and has been forced to seek permission to increase council tax by nearly nine percent.

“Home to School Transport is explicitly named in the council’s own budget documents as one of the principal drivers of this crisis.

“The direction of travel in today’s announcement is right. But a 2035 deadline is nine years away.

“For Worcestershire residents who are about to pay nearly nine percent more in council tax that timeline will feel very distant indeed.

“I would urge the government to consider how transitional measures can be accelerated for councils already in acute financial distress such as Worcestershire.”

We have asked the council for comment.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “The SEND system designed 10 years ago for a small number of children is now broken.

“Parents end up fighting tooth and nail for entitlements on paper that don’t see them getting additional support. Children’s educations and lives have suffered.

“Today’s plans will take children with SEND from sidelined and excluded to seen, heard and included. Every child will get the brilliant support they deserve, when they need it, as routine and without a fight.”