The increasing numbers of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) combined with lack of finance and staffing has become a “systemic problem” in schools, MPs have heard.
Government figures show that more than 1.5 million pupils in England have special educational needs, an increase of 87,000 from 2022.
Labour MP Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) said that schools were struggling under the pressure of students with additional needs, and lack of staff.
He told the Commons: “I go to schools in my constituency in Cambridge virtually every week and what I’m seeing is more and more schools struggling with the numbers of Send pupils they have, both in terms of finance and staffing.
“And on top of that I see too many of them now literally having to go out and fetch children into school in the morning, and actually having to have social workers based in their schools. So this is not about individual schools, it’s a systemic problem. What is the Government doing about this?”
Education minister David Johnston said in Cambridgeshire there had been a “27% increase in per-head funding for special educational needs since 2021/22”.
Shadow education minister Helen Hayes said lack of early education spaces for disabled children was a “shameful failure” for the Government.
She told MPs: “High quality early years education can be transformational for children with special educational needs, helping to ensure their needs are identified and supported at the most important time for their development.
“However, last year fewer than one in five local authorities in England reported having sufficient child care places for disabled children. This is a shameful failure.
“Is the minister confident that the families with a disabled child will be able to access the childcare they are entitled to from April?”
Mr Johnston replied: “We’re doing two things on the issue (Ms Hayes) raises. One is, we’re reviewing the special educational needs inclusion fund, as we roll out the new entitlements to make sure that that’s working appropriately with the new entitlements.
“The other thing we do is we put in place a contractor because there’s a statutory duty on local authorities to make sure they have the places for all children including those with special educational needs and they work with local authorities to make sure those will be in place.”
Ministers were also asked to ensure that the reforms the plans aimed at helping children with special needs or disabilities would not lead to a “one-size-fits-all approach to cut costs”.
Lib Dem MP Sarah Dyke (Somerton and Frome) told the Commons: “A teacher in Frome recently reached out to me and told me that there are too few pupils successful in their EHCP (education, health and care plan) applications.
“Without a plan, and the accompanying support for children’s life chances, children are diminished. Can the minister reassure my constituents that the Government’s plans to reform the EHCP will still ensure that children can receive care that is personalised to their needs and not a one-size-fits-all approach to cut costs?”
Education minister Damian Hinds replied: “I absolutely wholeheartedly agree with her about the central importance, how vital it is to have that support. There are of course many more EHCPs, education health and care plans. There were statements under the old system.
“More children getting that support. She will understand I can’t comment on the individual case that she mentions but I would mention to her the Send and alternative provision action plan that we have in place.”