PARENTS of children with special educational needs are gearing up for a huge battle as Labour’s overhaul could strip them of key rights.
Councils are drowning in a £5 billion SEND funding black hole, with some, including Hampshire and West Sussex, on track to be more than £100 million in the red by next year, according to a Guardian analysis.
GettyParents of children with special educational needs could be stripped of key rights by Labour[/caption]
Without urgent action, local authorities say the crisis could spiral to £8bn by 2029, pushing dozens to the brink of bankruptcy.
To plug the gap, ministers are working on a white paper that will curb parents’ rights to appeal for extra support, limit SEND tribunals, and push more children into mainstream schools, according to local authority sources.
One insider told the Guardian the changes would be a “complete recalibration” of the SEND system.
But furious parents’ groups warned ministers would end up with a “massive fight on their hands” if they end up diluting children’s legal rights to SEND support.
Tania Tirraoro of the campaign group Special Needs Jungle said: “Reducing Send entitlement won’t make needs go away – you just end up with lots of children with needs but no support.”
Kate Foale, a Labour councillor and SEND spokesperson for the County Councils Network, said law changes must go hand in hand with reform and extra investment in special needs education.
She said: “It [the Send system] is adversarial, and it doesn’t work for children and their families.
“We are in a really bad place.”
The Department for Education insists it is “determined” to fix the system, pointing to £1bn of extra SEND funding and £740m for councils to create more specialist places in mainstream schools.
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