Surrey Lib Dem MPs and Ed Davey set out five tests for SEND reform, as data reveals more than 16,000 children at risk of losing support
Liberal Democrat MPs Al Pinkerton, Chris Coghlan, Helen Maguire, Monica Harding, Will Forster and Zöe Franklin said the Government must ensure that the 16,069 children in Surrey are protected by the Government’s reforms to the SEND system, as the party set out its five tests at PMQs on Wednesday (9 July).
Analysis of the latest available data reveals that 6,516 EHCP pupils in Surrey are in mainstream schools and are especially vulnerable to losing their rights to assessment and support under Labour’s rumoured plans.
Surrey has already earned the shameful title of the SEND tribunal capital of England, with many children being forced to wait as long as two years for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey and Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson have written to Keir Starmer setting out five principles for SEND reform, and offering to work on a cross-party basis with the government to ensure the reforms deliver for children with SEND and their families - a move that is strongly supported by Surrey’s six Liberal Democrat MPs.
The five principles include maintaining the right to SEND assessments for children, boosting special school capacity, improving early identification and cutting waiting lists. The Liberal Democrats are also calling for more support for local authorities to provide SEND services and better training for school staff.
The Liberal Democrats’ five principles and priorities for SEND reform are as follows:
- Putting children and families first
Children’s rights to SEND assessment and support must be maintained and the voices of children and young people with SEND and of their families and carers must be at the centre of the reform process.
- Boosting specialist capacity and improving mainstream provision
Capacity in state special provision must be increased, alongside improvements to inclusive mainstream provision, with investment in both new school buildings and staff training.
- Supporting local government
Local authorities must be supported better to fund SEND services, including through:
a) The extension of the profit cap in children’s social care to private SEND provision, where many of the same private equity backed companies are active, and
b) National government funding to support any child whose assessed needs exceed a specific cost.
- Early identification and shorter waiting lists
Early identification and intervention must be improved, with waiting times for diagnosis, support and therapies cut.
- Fair funding
The SEND funding system must properly incentivise schools both to accept SEND pupils and to train their staff in best practice for integrated teaching and pastoral care.
Surrey’s Liberal Democrat MPs Al Pinkerton, Chris Coghlan, Helen Maguire, Monica Harding, Will Forster and Zöe Franklin said:
“Surrey’s families are already fighting an uphill battle in a broken SEND system. For far too long, children and families in Surrey have been forced to endure long and painful battles to get the most basic support they need from Surrey County Council. There are no signs of outcomes improving, leaving thousands of families here in Surrey in the dark.
"Thousands of children in Surrey are having their life chances wrecked, by missing out on months, and in many cases, years of their education. Every week, we hear from more constituents whose children are facing unacceptable delays and uncertainty, and now they face the additional fear of their children’s rights being rolled back.
“We completely acknowledge that change is needed, however we share profound concerns that the Government’s approach will only strip support away from thousands of families in Surrey. We need to get this right.
“That is why we Liberal Democrats strongly support the five principles and priorities for SEND reform set out by our party, which will protect children and families here in Surrey. The Government should give this their full consideration."