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Ministers will introduce reforms so that children with special educational needs (SEND) will have their support reviewed as they move from primary to secondary school.
The move is one of the key changes that will be introduced to reform the SEND system by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, as part of a wider package of measures, Sky News understands.
The full details of the proposals are expected to be revealed on Monday, when parliament returns from recess.
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But one of the key planks of the reforms will be reducing the reliance of children with SEND on Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP).
What are EHCPs, and what’s the problem with them?
These plans are legally binding and support children and young adults up to the age of 25. But the number of people with them has nearly doubled since 2017.
It is due to rise further by the end of the decade – putting huge financial pressure on local authorities, who fund special educational needs provision.
The increase has also led to long waiting lists, while unhappy families who initially fail to get the plans are increasingly going to court to overturn that decision – with 99% of appeals accepted in 2023.
But the County Councils Network says that for all their cost and effort, EHCPs aren’t actually improving educational outcomes, and the system needs “root and branch” reform to stop councils being pushed to the financial brink.
The government appears to have also come to the same conclusion, as one of the main reforms to the SEND system…
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