Reform to special needs funding will be delayed by several months after the Government decided it needed more time.
Labour’s Schools White Paper will now be released in early in the New Year, rather than this autumn, after ministers said it needed further work.
Today there was outrage from campaigners, who said too many families were waiting for help for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
It is thought ministers are planning to offer more help at a school level, reducing waiting lists for external referrals.
It comes after a surge in applications for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which entitle the holder to state-backed help.
Previous research suggests a rise in autism and ADHD diagnoses is fuelling the trend, and clogging up the system.
In a letter today, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she had taken the decision to delay the white paper to have a ‘further period of co-creation’ to test the reform proposals with families, teachers, and experts.
Anna Bird of the Disabled Children’s Partnership said: ‘Delay to the white paper is deeply frustrating for parents who need an end to the uncertainty swirling around SEND provision when their lives are complex enough.’
Reform to special needs funding will be delayed by several months after the Government decided it needed more time (pictured: Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson)
As of January 2025, 638,745 children had an EHCP, a rise from 390,109 in 2019.
Originally, these were meant to be for only those with the most severe needs, such as blindness.
However, because children with much less severe needs are unable to access help at school, they have also now been applying for EHCPs.
It has meant long waiting lists for help, and often those with the most severe needs are stuck in the queue.
Local authorities have been facing growing deficits on their high needs budgets as need increases.
Councillor Bill Revans, SEND spokesman for the County Councils Network, said ‘time is of the essence’ to reform the system, ‘so this delay is massively disappointing’.
‘Councils are on course to amass £6 billion in deficits by March next year, whilst families are waiting even longer for the support their children desperately need,’ he said.
A Department for Education spokesman said children with SEND have been let down by a failing system for years, which is why it is launching a further period of ‘listening and engagement’ was needed.
‘We know that families are crying out for change, and that is exactly why it is critical we get this right,’ they said.
‘We’ll set out the full Schools White Paper in the new year, building on the work we’ve already done to create a system that’s rooted in inclusion, where children receive high-quality support early on and can thrive at their local school.’
