'It's incredibly hard to watch': Stark warning over future of special needs support in schools

A extremist overhaul of the mode mainstream schools enactment children with peculiar acquisition needs and disabilities (SEND) is needed to halt the strategy from collapsing nether increasing demand, MPs person warned.

The fig of children identified with SEND has soared from 1.3 cardinal successful 2019 to 1.7 cardinal this year.

In 2024/25, much than 1.2 cardinal pupils were receiving SEND support, with astir fractional a cardinal holding an acquisition wellness attraction program (EHCP).

Helen Hayes, Education Committee chair, said the findings amusement that lone with a taste displacement crossed the sector, backed by concern successful grooming and staff, volition schools beryllium genuinely inclusive.

Ms Hayes told Sky News she would similar to spot "a afloat inclusive acquisition strategy that means defining what inclusive means and decently resourcing the transportation of that".

Asked if the study was a proposal to regenerate each specializer schools with mainstream SEND provision, she said: "No, not astatine all, rather the opposite.

"Our study calls for much concern successful specializer schools successful the authorities sector.

"The existent attack to backing is not sustainable, it's driving section authorities to the borderline of bankruptcy."

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Autism is present the astir communal request cited successful EHCPs, accounting for implicit a 3rd of cases, but MPs besides heard of crisp increases successful speech, language, and connection needs, arsenic good arsenic social, affectional and intelligence wellness needs, peculiarly since the pandemic.

Ms Hayes said ministers "shouldn't beryllium making immoderate changes to EHCPs arsenic they presently work".

"They are an important statutory portion of the system; determination volition ever beryllium children who request them," she added.

'It's incredibly hard to watch'

Lauren's six-year-old lad was diagnosed with autism successful January, and she is inactive waiting for his EHCP and further reassessments.

She said she is "flabbergasted by the level of nonaccomplishment we've faced, and I cognize we're not the lone ones".

"It's incredibly hard to ticker a kid who's already susceptible beryllium pushed adjacent further into disadvantage by the precise systems that were expected to support and enactment him," she said.

The cross-party committee stresses that the semipermanent solution lies successful embedding inclusivity crossed each schools, from aboriginal years done to post-16, with needs identified earlier and enactment delivered by unit trained successful SEND.

Such a shift, the study argues, would easiness request for complex, costly EHCPs, assistance equilibrium stretched budgets, and guarantee children are supported earlier issues escalate.

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Rachel Filmer, co-founder of Save Our Children's Rights, said her organisation welcomed "any measures to marque mainstream schools genuinely much inclusive, but this cannot beryllium inclusion successful sanction only".

"It is captious that children clasp the close to statutory plans, to individualised support, and to specializer schoolhouse placements if this is successful the child's champion interests," she added.

While the study highlights examples of beardown signifier successful England and abroad, it besides acknowledges galore families are inactive facing agelong waits for assessments.

The study does not gully a decision connected the causes of rising need, but adept witnesses pointed to a premix of factors, from greater consciousness and amended diagnosis to wider societal and wellness trends.