Education secretary 'guarantees' no child will lose SEND support
Bridget Phillipson announced £4 billion worth of changes to the school system to “take away that fight that so many parents face" in accessing legally-guaranteed support
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has 'guaranteed' to LBC that no child will lose SEND support under the government's sweeping schools reforms.
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The minister announced on Monday £4 billion worth of changes to the school system to “take away that fight that so many parents face" in accessing legally-guaranteed support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
It would mean that the number of children receiving an education, health and care plan (EHCP) would start falling each year from 2030, sparking concerns that children with the most complex needs would be "losing their support".
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But Ms Phillipson told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast that the Government is not seeking to reduce the number of children with (EHCPs) and clarified that the system "will involve individual support plans and that will see schools better able to deliver targeted support".
She estimated that one in eight children with an EHCP will move to an individual support plan when they are reassessed from the end of the decade, while the other seven will retain their EHCPs.
“That’s our best estimate,” she said.
“This is not a number we’re chasing. There’s not a target. We’re not seeking to reduce the numbers.
“We are trying to deliver a system that provides better and more timely support for children.”
Asked if she could guarantee no child will lose support, she said: "I can, because they will get support under the new system."
An EHCP is a legal document setting out the support children with Send are legally entitled to.
The policy documents propose a new plan with a legal footing for all children with SEND called individual support plans (ISPs), which have multiple tiers of support – targeted and targeted plus.
Children will not need to have a diagnosis to access these plans.
Those with the most complex needs will still have EHCPs, which will underpin new specialist provision packages.
Assessments for the new system, which will be consulted on for 12 weeks, will start in September 2029 with no changes to current support before “at least September 2030”.
When the new legislation comes into effect, children with EHCPs will be reassessed at the end of their education phase and it will be decided whether they need a specialist provision package. If they do, a new EHCP will be developed.
Regardless of whether they have a new EHCP developed, the child’s school will have a statutory duty to draw up an ISP.
The policy document states that all children moving from an EHCP to an ISP will “retain the right to request a mainstream placement, and no child will move from a special school or college unless they choose to do so”.
The number of EHCPs issued has been soaring and stood at 638,745 as of January 2025 for young people aged up to 25, up from 353,995 in 2019, which has led to spiralling costs for councils and large deficits.