Latest news with #ECHPs
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
'We're terrified our kids' futures will be destroyed by huge education shake-up'
Parents and disability campaigners. are deeply concerned the government's reform of the SEND system will mean children with EHCPs will not be able to access mainstream education Terrified parents have condemned a government threat to shake-up SEND education, amid fears that 250,000 pupils at mainstream schools could lose their legal guarantee of additional support. The outcry follows suggestions by government SEND adviser Dame Christine Lenehan this week that they are considering restricting education, health and care plans (ECHPs) to children in special schools. With the latest figures for January 2024 showing that nearly 250,000 pupils with ECHPs were in mainstream schools, compared to around 186,000 in special schools, parents fear the fall out could be devastating. Speaking at the Schools and Academies Show in London, when asked if the Government's redesign of the SEND (special educational needs and disability) system would mean fewer EHCPs, Dame Lenehan said: 'I think probably so.' To questions asking if narrowing of EHCPs would mean they only applied to children in special schools, she replied: 'I think, to be honest, that's the conversation we're in the middle of.' While insisting that any new system would 'still be able to recognise and support children's needs,' she added that the structure around ECHPs was 'not fit for purpose.' Regarded as a 'lifeline' by many parents of SEND kids, EHCPs are legal documents that ensure children will receive a certain level of support in school to help with their special needs. However the number of plans has surged in recent years from 237,000 in 2016 to 576,474 in January 2024, and schools and other services have struggled to keep up with the demand. The latest news has been met with alarm from parents and disability campaigners. Anna Bird, chair of the Disabled Children's Partnership, a coalition of 120 charities, tells the Mirror: 'The idea of scrapping Education, Health and Care Plans [in mainstream schools] will terrify families. 'The reality parents and children face now is that an EHCP is the only way they can get an education.' Broadcaster and autism campaigner Carrie Grant MBE, mum to four children with additional needs, adds: 'When an EHCP ring-fences provision for a particular child there is a sense of safety, or at least a basis for negotiation between parents and school. If this money becomes available in a different form how do we make sure our child's needs are met? These are very hard times.' Hayley Harding, founder of SEND parent organisation, Let Us Learn Too, says: 'These children have done nothing to hurt anyone yet Bridget Phillipson and her department seem to want to make their lives even harder than they already are." Asked by the Mirror whether the Department of Education is considering restricting EHCPs to children in specialist schools, a spokesperson said it is 'actively working with parents and experts on the solutions'. They continued: 'The evidence is clear that this government inherited a SEND system left on its knees – with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support. 'As part of our Plan for Change, we will restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for so every child can achieve and thrive.' Parents of SEND children are horrified by rumours that EHCPs will be restricted to children in specialist schools. Aimee Bradley and husband Davin, both 41, live in Hampshire with their three autistic children, Autumn, 12, Ashton, six, and Blake, three. Aimee says: ''I am absolutely terrified. I cannot put into words the fear and panic this causes. My daughter is in mainstream school and would be completely lost without her EHCP. It is the only thing that makes it possible for her to attend school, to learn, to feel safe. 'My youngest is only three and may never get the chance to access support. If these changes go ahead, they'll destroy children's futures. EHCPs are not a luxury. They are the only thing standing between our children and complete exclusion from education. 'My middle child, Ashton, is in a specialist provision. My youngest, Blake, is just three. He is due to start infant school in 2026 and we are in the process of applying for his EHCP. Not clearly suited to mainstream or specialist school, without a EHCP, I have no idea how he will access education at all. 'I help run SEND Reform England and every single day we receive messages from terrified parents. Our Facebook group is full of desperate families who feel ignored and broken by the system.' Influencer and author Lisa Lloyd, 40, lives in Aylesbury with husband Terry and their two autistic children Poppy, seven, and Finley, ten. She says: 'This is absolutely appalling. EHCPs are a lifeline for many children with SEND. 'Removing them means that we are basically being told our child doesn't matter. 'Taking away the EHCPs from children in mainstream schools who need them is going to have a knock on impact on everyone, including the teachers. 'We need everybody to shout from the rooftops because this cannot happen.' Nicola Holmes, 55, lives with husband Wayne and their two autistic children, Ethan, 18, and Ella, 16, in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. She says: 'I'm a mother of two disabled teenagers. My daughter is autistic and doesn't fit neatly into either mainstream or special school. My son is also autistic, and has Down's Syndrome. 'EHCPs give us hope - hope that someone, somewhere in the system will have to listen. They give us a sliver of power in a system where parents are often made to feel powerless. 'The idea of reducing, replacing, or restricting these plans terrifies thousands of families like mine. ''If the government truly wants to fix SEND, it must start by listening, really listening to the people who live it every day. ' Amy White , 38, from Hampshire is mum to Jack, 11 who has autism and ADHD, and daughter Esmae, three, as well as stepmum to her partner Sam's son Charlie, eight. She works as a SEND advocate and has written to her MP saying: 'I cannot overstate how damaging such a move would be – not only to the children and families directly affected but to our entire society. 'Parents are being gaslighted and misled by local authorities. Children are denied their basic rights to an appropriate education simply because they are different. 'They are different, not less. They are the change-makers of tomorrow – but only if we protect their rights today.' Charlotte Galbraith, 29, lives in Denham, Buckinghamshire, with her partner Callum, 29, and sons Angus, eight and Oscar, seven, who both have autism and ADHD and attend a specialist school. She says: 'EHCPs are essential for children with SEND to receive the support they need, particularly in mainstream schools. Without these plans, I worry it could lead to a rise in mental health crises among young people.' Georgina Davies, 42, lives in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, with son Jonah, 14, who has autism and severe learning disabilities. She says: 'Removing EHCPs for children that need them would be catastrophic for countless children and families. 'Plunging the elderly and disabled into poverty isn't enough for this government now they want to sacrifice education for SEND children.' Siobhan Stephenson , 30, from Durham, is mum to Frankie, 11, who has autism and global development delay and Ava-Mae, eight, who is autistic. She says: 'Without EHCPs for our most vulnerable children, this would be setting them up to fail. 'The government wants the next generation to be in work to better the country. But how can that be possible without an education that meets their needs?' What we know about EHCPs Campaign Manager for the Disabled Children's Partnership, Stephen Kingdom, has explained the story so far, concerning EHCPs. Q. Are EHCPs going to be scrapped? A. The fact that the Government's most senior SEND adviser has said what she has certainly suggests it is a possibility. But we do not know for certain. Q. What will they be replaced with? A. Until the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, makes an announcement we don't know. We are very concerned that children will lose the legal right to the support they need to succeed in school. Q. Where will the support come from if my child doesn't have an EHCP and attends a mainstream school? A. Again, until an announcement, it is unclear where provision will come from. Most requests for EHCPs come from schools themselves, because they can see the support a child needs but don't have allocated funding in their core budgets, or shared investment from local health and social care departments, to provide that support. Q. Will existing EHCPs be honoured? A. If an entirely new system is introduced, you would expect there to be a proper, well-funded transition period over a number of years. Q. Where will extra funding come from without an EHCP? A. This is the million dollar question. The fear is that the government is prioritising saving public money over the lives and wellbeing of children and families. Q. My teenager is about to leave school but will need support to go to college. What will happen to his support? You would hope that provision for school leavers will continue while they are in education, up to the age of 25, as it does currently.
The Guardian
30-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Nearly 20 councils in England ‘at risk of insolvency' due to Send costs
Nearly 20 councils have warned publicly that they are at risk of insolvency because of multibillion pound debts caused by years of overspends on special educational needs support, the Guardian can reveal. Overspending on special educational needs and disability (Send) services in England is forecast to grow by nearly £2bn over the next 12 months, a Guardian investigation shows. Councils will see mounting special educational needs and disabilities (Send) deficits rise by 54% on average, with some anticipating accrued debts to increase by millions of pounds every month as they struggle to cope with soaring demand. The deficits – currently totalling £3.4bn – will hit £5.2bn in 12 months' time. At least 18 councils have warned explictly the debts put them at risk of insolvency unless the government intervenes, with council estimates suggesting even more could go bust. 'The deficits are pushing councils all over England to the financial brink. The clock is ticking, and councils are being left in limbo with significant uncertainty over the future of services,' said William Burns, social care policy adviser for the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa). Mass defaults on Send deficits would cause chaos and damage other local services, said Cipfa, because councils which declare effective bankruptcy would be forced to drastically rein in spending in all areas, not just local schools. It estimates as many as 75 councils are at risk. The spiralling debts were kept off council books by Tory ministers using an accounting fix called a 'statutory override' but this ends on 31 March 2026, when the debt returns to town hall balance sheets. Ministers must now decide whether to clear the debt, or extend the override until the deficits can be cleared safely. The Send deficit ballooned under the last government, triggered by rapid increases in the cost of meeting education and health care plans (EHCPs) which give children the legal right to school support for conditions such as autism, and speech and language difficulty. In 2015, 240,000 ECHPs were in place in England, more than doubling to 576,000 in 2024, according to Department for Education (DfE) statistics. Insufficient special needs capacity in state schools, and the high costs of Send placements in private specialist schools, have been driving overspends. A government insider said: 'Those [council] forecasts can only have been based on the failing Tory system that we will change. Tackling the chaos that the Tories left in our Send system is a major priority for [the education secretary] Bridget Phillipson, so we can give every child the opportunity to get a brilliant education.' A Guardian investigation shows at least 101 English councils – over two-thirds of the total – spent more than their allocated Send budget during the past year, with 18 councils breaching their annual allocations by over £30m. Nearly nine out of 10 English upper-tier councils – of the 131 which responded in full to the FoI – will have an accumulated deficit on their high needs budgets by the end of next March, with one-in-four (32 out of the 131 who responded in full) now predicting debts of more than £50m and 15 debts of £100m or more. Leeds city council, which covers chancellor Rachel Reeves's Leeds West and Pudsey constituency, has forecast its accumulated Send deficit will soar from £17.5m to £50m by the end of the next financial year, and warned the increase will put it at 'serious financial risk'. Hampshire county council, which has England's largest forecast deficit at £312m, is projecting its debt to rise by £111m over the next year. In its budget reports, the council said that if the override was removed and the debt became a part of the organisation's deficit, 'a section 114 notice would become inevitable'. Middlesbrough, one of England's most deprived authorities, said its forecast Send deficit will rise by more than quarter to £26m over the next 12 months. In council papers last month, it called this 'a critical risk to the council's financial viability, given that it will wipe out the council's general fund reserves.' The average forecast accumulated deficit across the councils covered by the analysis is £40m by the end of March 2026, with 112 forecasting their accumulated high needs deficit will worsen over the next 12 months. A DfE spokesperson said: 'The evidence is clear that the Send system has been on its knees for years – with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support. 'It will take time, but as part of our Plan for Change we are thinking differently about what the Send system should look like, to spread opportunity, restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for.'
