Last week, the government announced the SEND and AP improvement plan, confirming investment in training for thousands of workers so children can get the help they need earlier, alongside thousands of additional specialist school places for those with the greatest needs as 33 new special free schools are approved to be built, including one in Central Bedfordshire.
The transformation of the system will be underpinned by new national SEND and AP standards, which will give families confidence in what support they should receive and who will provide and pay for it, regardless of where they live.
There will be new guides for professionals to help them provide the right support in line with the national standards but suited to each child’s unique experience, setting out for example how to make adjustments to classrooms to help a child remain in mainstream education.
Richard Fuller MP said:
Too many families have to jump through hoops for their child, with local bureaucracy creating a postcode lottery for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
That is why we are establishing 33 new special free schools across the country and introducing new national standards for all types of needs, cutting local bureaucracy and making sure the process for Education Health and Care Plans is digital wherever possible. It is especially good news that the Secretary of State has approved Central Bedfordshire’s bid to establish a new special free school as one of these additional 33 schools to be built.
The government has increased investment into children with special educational needs by over 50 per cent since 2019, ensuring every child with special educational needs and disabilities receives the support and high-quality education they deserve.
To improve parents’ and carers’ experiences of accessing support, the plan will cut local bureaucracy by making sure the process for assessing children and young people’s needs through education health and care (EHC) plans is digital-first, quicker and simpler wherever possible.
This package forms part of the government’s significant investment into children and young people with SEND and in AP, with investment increasing by more than 50% compared with 2019 to 2020 - to over £10 billion by 2023 to 2024.
For full details please see the government website here.
