Plans are underway to transform the support provided to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as part of a new national education plan, as outlined in the Government’s SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper.
The Green Paper follows the SEND Review and families are now being invited to have their say on how the new system will be shaped. The proposals aim to improve a system that has been criticised for being a postcode lottery, leaving many young people with poor outcomes.
The Green Paper proposals at a glance
New national standards will be set across education, health and care to boost performance across the SEND system.
- Educational, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) will be simplified and made digital to reduce bureaucracy. It is envisaged that this will give parents access to information on appropriate placements to make informed choices.
- ‘Local inclusion dashboards’ will be published to improve transparency to make information more accessible to parents and young people.
- Local authorities will be legally required to introduce ‘local inclusion plans’ to give more certainty on who is responsible for and when across early years, school and post-16 education.
- The ‘culture and practice’ within mainstream education are to be changed to become more inclusive for children with SEND. The ability to identify and provide help is to be improved by targeted support and earlier intervention.
- A new national framework for councils will be created for banding and tariffs for high needs to match the national standard. It is hoped this will provide families with clarity on the level of support they can expect and help make the system more financially sustainable for the future.
- Workforce training will be improved with the introduction of a new SENCo NPQ for school SENCos and to boost the number of staff in early years settings with an accredited level 3 qualification.