SEND: Government to give earlier support for school children in new plans

Their self-described "ambitious" paper was commissioned to improve "an inconsistent, process-heavy and increasingly adversarial system that too often leaves parents facing difficulties and delays accessing the right support for their child."

These plans will be open for a 13-week public consultation to give families a chance to shape how the system will work.

The Government hopes it will "give [families] confidence that their local school will meet their children’s needs so they can achieve their full potential."

A new SEND paper has been released (PA) (Image: PA)

What has the Government proposed with the SEND green paper?

It proposes an end to the “postcode lottery” which means children with additional needs around the country get varying levels of support.

Additionally, new national standards should be set across education, health and care to improve performance.

Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) need to be digitised and simplified, as they are a key part of helping pupils with SEND access support in school.

As reported by the Evening Standard: "Under the plans, councils will be legally required to set up “local inclusion plans” which would bring education and health services together, which would make providers’ responsibilities clearer."

A new national framework would also be in place for councils to simplify funding for pupils and young people with SEND up to the age of 25.

Finally, it says mainstream schools need to become more inclusive and identify SEND needs earlier to improve support.

Frustration has come with the delayed release of these plans, which first began to be reviewed in 2019.