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UK government wants to solve the SEND crisis
Culture shifts and funding are keys for inclusion
Tuesday 30th September 2025
Source: UK Parliament
A new Education Committee report identifies an ongoing crisis in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision, describing the current system as "broken" and failing children.
It finds that rising numbers of pupils with complex needs, coupled with insufficient support in mainstream schools, have created an unsustainable demand for costly Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.
The report's central recommendation is a fundamental culture shift to make mainstream education genuinely inclusive, where SEND is the responsibility of the whole school, not an add-on.
To achieve this, it calls for a unified national framework to establish clear, enforceable standards for the support children should receive before an EHC plan is considered.
Key recommendations include mandatory, continuous SEND training for all teachers and senior leaders, and an urgent review of the national funding formula to better reflect local needs and uprate the outdated £6,000 per-pupil provision.
The report also calls for a dedicated workforce plan to address specialist shortages and demands that the NHS become a more active, accountable partner in delivering support.
The ultimate goal is to reduce the reliance on EHC plans by embedding expertise and resources directly within every school.
Read the full article here:
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/203/education-committee/news/
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