It comes as the children’s minister Claire Coutinho faced MPs this morning over the Government’s plans to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which have been criticised for not going far enough.
The Change.org petition, which has 36,298 signatures, calls for effective reform of SEND provision that tackles delays, which means families are ‘being left in limbo’ as they seek support.
- Read more on the SEND Improvement Plan here
It proposes reform of the EHC plan process to ensure children with SEND are treated ‘fair and equal’, resulting in them thriving in an educational setting.
The petition also calls for a system that holds both local authorities and the Government to account should they fail to meet their own standards and criteria.
Northamptonshire based Aimee Line, whose son has autism, said, ‘Please sign our petition we need everyone’s help! Mothers, fathers and caregivers are fighting for a fair and fulfilling education for their disabled children. The system is broken and failing our children.'
SEND Improvement Plan
The Government announced plans to reform SEND in its improvement plan in March. Concerns have been raised that measures within the plan do not go far enough to improve support amid rising demand, with the number of children with education, health and care (EHCP) plans and statements almost doubling in recent years, from 240,000 in 2015 to 473,000 last year.
Over the same period the number of children under the age of five with a plan increased from 11,250 to 18,054.
In defending the reforms at a hearing of the House of Commons education committee this morning (23 May), Coutinho said, ‘What we are doing through the changes is really systemic reform and that includes making sure we have improved teacher training, making sure we have got more specialist school places and more school provision and making sure that the whole system is working more closely together.’
Reducing demand for EHCP plans
But committee chair Robin Walker raised concerns around the Department for Education (DfE)’s ‘refusal to publish projections on how the planned reforms’will reduce demand for EHCP plans.
Coutinho said she believed demand will fall as better support will be offered at an earlier stage and plans would not be needed in many cases.
Also speaking at the hearing was Alison Ismail, the DfE’s director of SEND and alternative provision.
‘We refer in the improvement plan to a hypothesis that if we make that pincer movement, if you like, between improving mainstream provision and also improving what’s on offer in specialist (provision) then you will see a decrease in need for EHCP,’ said Ismail about how demand can be reduced.
Walker also raised concerns in the children’s sector 'that a motivation behind the plan is to effectively ration EHCPs'.
Coutinho denied this was the case.