SEND - children’s needs to be reassessed from year 6 2029?

That makes more sense. Just looked it up and there's around 3000 in England so 600 could be an increase but will take some time to train I imagine (and I don't know how many might retire during that time). Might not be much different?

I dont actually think the idea of reassessing children when they are about to go into a new key stage is bad. We are transitioning from secondary to further education and one of the issues is all my sons assessments are from aged 7 and dont reflect his current needs well and his secondary environment is very different than the FE options and we cant get any steer on what he will need in a different environment. The annual review process has been a bit crap and getting things updated is hard. Its just his special school reports basically and progress on his outcomes.

But realistically they cant even assess everyone once at the moment, let alone at regular intervals so I cant see how this will play out. The timing is also wrong as its a year too late and if the aim is to reduce ehcps not ensure support is right its a terrible idea.

This is a proposal that shows a shocking lack of understanding of SEND. The need for an EHCP increases for y7+, not decreases. A lot of kids who managed to get on ok in mainstream with the universal provision that doesn't require an EHCP in order to get minor adjustments in yR-y6 will experience escalating problems in y7-y9 and the wheels come off completely at some point in y10-y11 if no EHCP has been secured by then. They should be planning for more children to need additional specialist support in older years, not trying to push children back out.

If anything it's the other way round isn't it! Children who have coped in small nurturing primary schools suddenly get flung into the chaos of a large secondary and the wheels come off completely...

Typo sorry.

600

https://apple.news/ABfS6XyPcRKWgIAXrNhPqSw

I'm not sure where 60k of Ed Psychs comes from, that doesn't sound right, I'm pretty sure that's way more than the country currently has?? They train around 200 each year....

I mean yes it’s staggering and even after that you would have people talking about an ‘underfunded system’.

It's almost as if the people making the decisions don't have any understanding of children with disabilities!

I can't see how reassessment at this age will do anything other than cost money for the assessments. I cant imagine any situation where a child with an ehcp at primary would suddenly miraculously be healed from their disability/learning difficulty and not need one at secondary school. It makes no sense. Idiots.

It’s worrying but the fact remains having 700,000 children with EHCPs was never what the system anticipated. The country cannot afford the rising level of SEN need. It feels unpalatable to talk about it in the context of money but ultimately that’s what it boils down to. They’ve realised they’ve overpromised what can legally be provided and now they’re dialling it back.

"Whats the salary for an Ed Psych? A hugely conservative estimate of £30k"

More like double that.

Whats the salary for an Ed Psych? A hugely conservative estimate of £30k means an extra 60k Ed Psychs would cost £1.8 billion annually... Or is my maths out 😵‍💫

EHCPs can be changed at any point anyway. This sounds like it will be chaos.

They already were trying to employ more. The one that dealt with my daughter had come out of retirement to do it.

They’re aiming to employ 60k more educational psychologists to address this.

Exactly this! It can all deteriorate fast in year 7.

Yanbu. It's the very worst time to risk removing an EHCP.

Primary to secondary is usually when things start to go downhill.

They are deluded if they think the provisions and atmosphere of special schools can be replicated in mainstreams.

Also, having seen so many SEND posts on Mumsnet over the years, other parents do NOT want children with complex needs in their kids' mainstream classrooms. There's going to be a riot.

There are barely enough Ed Psychs for EHCP assessments as it is!

Oh that old chestnut.... "Look, they're doing fine now we've put all this extra support in place, that's clear evidence they don't need any extra support because look! They're doing fine! Let's just take away all that silly extra support that they don't need because they're doing so fine"

I feel very very fortunate that my DS will be out of education by the time these reforms kick in. He's in an independent specialist school (with transport in an individual taxi, shock horror!).

My son is in Year 5 and it has me sick with worry. He's currently thriving in mainstream but only because of his EHCP.

I worry they will decide he won't need it because he's managing in mainstream without considering that is why he is managing because that logic wouldn't surprise me at all.

I work in one. But there are nowhere near enough and a unit attached to a mainstream school is not really the same as a proper SEN purpose built school. It’s all down to money.

It's a national problem and I don't think my LA is even the worst affected!

I wonder if we’re in the same LA?!