Labour believes that background shouldn’t mean destiny. How a child grows up shouldn’t dictate where they end up.
That is as true for a child with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as any other.
It’s this belief, rooted in Labour values, driving the reforms I announced today.
Because I know that across the country, schools, teachers, support staff, and families are working hard to meet children’s needs. But they are swimming upstream against a broken system – one that has long been unfit for purpose.
That’s why this Labour Government is transforming the SEND system, so that support comes earlier, is easier to access, and works around children and families, rather than forcing them to fight for help.
We will back teachers with better training, ensure children get healthcare support like speech and language therapy, and ensure support is easier to access.
These reforms will build an inclusive, flexible system that will ensure children with SEND have access to the opportunities, confidence and outcomes they deserve:
- Every child who needs extra support will have a personal plan that sets out the extra help they’ll get to succeed.
- Every classroom will have teachers trained to meet the needs of children with SEND, backed by £200 million of new investment.
- Every secondary school will have an inclusion base where they can deliver additional support, following £3.7 billion of investment to create over 60,000 more specialist places.
And crucially, wherever you live, the unfair postcode lottery of support will end. Across the country, families will be able to send their children to school with confidence, with experts at hand to provide support.
I know that lots of parents will have questions about what these changes will mean for them and their children. And I know lots of people who work in schools will have questions too about how we plan to make this work and what it will mean for them.
We’ve put together more information for parents, staff, and others which you can find via the button below.
Please do share this link with anyone you think would want to know more about the change we plan to bring.
These reforms return our country to a guiding principle that was lost under the Tories: huge ambition for every child’s success, regardless of their background or their needs. That is a Labour choice. Labour values, in action, in Government.
Thank you for being a Labour Party member. It is thanks to you that these life changing reforms for young people with SEND will be possible.
Thank you,
Bridget Phillipson
Secretary of State for Education