Julian shows support for SEND families
January 16, 2024
This week, Julian attended a parliamentary drop-in session to discuss Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), specifically about how the education could be improved to meet the needs of all children, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
We all agree that all children should have access to a fulfilling education, in an inclusive setting that meets their needs, so they have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
The Government have issued an Improvement Plan following the Send Reform Green Paper. The common thread within the plan is to reduce the number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), mainly by improving access to early interventions. SEND Reform England believes the Government must go further, and Julian concurred, as seen on Look North on Tuesday evening.
The Department for Education has continued to increase the high needs funding for children and young people with the most complex needs, with over £8 billion having been provided for the 2021-22 financial year. In the financial year 2022-23, this increased by £1 billion to over £9.1 billion.
In reality, many conditions, including Autism, Dyslexia and ADHD cannot be ‘fixed’ by interventions and will affect children and young people throughout the school years and beyond.
After the event, Julian was quoted as saying: “it was a good event to attend, I have recently received quite a lot of emails from constituents regarding SEND, and I am aware that the Government can always do more to help. I will be writing to the Chancellor to ask what his plans are to extend SEND funding in the upcoming Spring Budget”
