Addressing the SEND Challenge: A Committee’s Urgent Plea for Insights

At the close of the previous year, the Government’s bipartisan Education Committee (which evaluates the operations of the Department for Education) initiated a significant new investigation aimed at discovering resolutions to the crisis in provision for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The committee is inviting submissions of evidence from individuals – including parents and guardians of children and young individuals with SEND – to present their insights based on personal experiences for the committee’s deliberation prior to relaying its conclusions.

The committee indicates that several “recent reports have outlined extensively the severity of the crisis in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, which is failing children and their families, while creating significant pressure on local authority budgets and educational institutions.”

It further states: “This inquiry will concentrate on achieving both immediate stability and enduring sustainability for the SEND framework to enhance experiences and results for children and young people.”

The committee emphasizes: “We will pay close attention to ensure that the voices and experiences of children and young people with SEND are central to our investigation.”

Evidence submissions are welcome from parents and guardians, early years providers, schools, local councils, nonprofit organizations, professionals, sector groups, and any other stakeholders interested in the support system for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

The committee plans to publish the evidence gathered online, although it mentions that, considering the sensitive nature of the inquiry, it will not disclose all the evidence received.

The scope of the inquiry encompasses the following areas:  

• Support for children and young individuals with SEND
• Current and anticipated SEND requirements
• Existing and future models of SEND provision
• Oversight and evaluation of SEND provision
• Financial aspects, funding, and capacity of SEND provision

The deadline for written submissions is Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 6 PM.  

To learn more and respond to the committee’s request for evidence, please visit the UK Parliament website.

Kellie Knott, our Strategic Director for SEND, stated: 

I urge all parents and guardians of children and young individuals to contemplate participating in this inquiry, to aid in enhancing support both locally and nationally for children and young individuals with SEND, along with their families.

At the local level, we have recently released our five-year SEND Strategy, which acknowledges that the assistance available to young individuals and their families in Devon is currently inadequate. We are working to rectify this and have outlined our plans to achieve these improvements.

Nevertheless, our capacity to effect change at the local level is limited within the current system, underscoring the necessity for a sustained national effort to foster better support for children and young people with SEND. This is where this inquiry can be beneficial.