Reform councils to cut SEN spending

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.. according to the Lib Dem’s. Can they even do this? My DC isn’t SEN but her class has 5 TAs mainly as 121s and I dread what would happen if their funding is removed. Our council isn’t Reform led but they’re pretty neck on neck in no overall control.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/apr/24/ed-miliband-energy-pricing-keir-starmer-nigel-farage-latest-live-uk-politics-news

The labelling of so many has caused the problem, it has been abused, you only have to look at the number of students who have an access arrangement to see this.

To be frank they aren’t really interested in youth at all apart from the well off young fogey element. This will all be about appeasing Brenda and Colin in their 70s in Doncaster who don’t give a shit about SEN- it’s the same with todays headlines about stopping Working from home - doesn’t affect most of the deluded voting for them , as they are either retired or cabbies or plumbers etc - they may be arseholes but they aren’t daft - they know the bells to pull

It's a diagnosis, not a label.

I'm afraid Labour are very likely to take an axe to SEND funding, parental rights for tribunals and LA responsibilities in the next few months, the indicators are all there along with the early releases. It's hell on toast right now anyway with EHCPs taking a year plus and many being badly written, and kids out of school with no support.

Tbh there are much, much bigger root problems that need addressing to make any real difference, such as why mainstream schooling, often despite staff working hard and doing their best, just isn't accessible or possible for so many childrne and why the school environment is overwhelming. More options for schooling need to be available including more therapeutic and neurodivergent friendly options where sensory environments can be better managed, there's less relationships involved with older children having to move from classroom to classroom through a sea of different teachers, and much much more. There are so very many children now with so much need, it's not overdiagnosing, there needs to be serious investigation of why need has escalated so much.

The current approach of just somehow finding more and more and more LA funding to throw at badly met needs and endless beaurocracy and fighting isn't going to improve the situation for anyone, and there is a limit to how much tax payers can fund. There is no political party currently with any real interest or plan to address this properly. But whoever is in power will be focused on trying to cut back on the spend.

Sooooo what are you planning to do? Just tell kids with Sen they can’t go to school?

Where will they be removed to? Madagascar? Or special camps?

I don’t think people are arseholes for not voting for your interests, in the same way I wouldn’t say you’re an arsehole for not voting for theirs. Everyone thinks their own area of need is the most urgent one and everyone else should care but sadly human beings are all selfish and it’s understandable to a certain extent. I suppose my primary worry is how this would affect my DD whose classroom is borderline chaos as it is

How is that going to pan out long term, you know with prison numbers, unemployment benefits bill, increased bill for the nhs treating depression and obesity from kids sitting at home all day with no education or hope.

What is the plan?

No idea but equally SEN outcomes haven’t improved even with the extra spending

It seems an unsolvable problem

it's only a right if the child doesn't have SEN. There are thousands of disabled children excluded from education in the UK because they have SN. Mine has barely been in school as the mainstream school refused them to attend (need too much support, not a violent child) and the EHCP is months overdue as the LA is refuse to fund it. It's a very very common scenario.

Who says they haven’t?

Without a willingness to majorly reconsider the entire education system and curriculum in the UK as it currently stands - and health services such as speech therapy, mental health care - and rebuild it in a very different form, it probably is. There isn't enough funding to throw at additional provision and support for the children unable to access or cope with the model as it stands. That only worked so long as the number of children who couldn't was relatively small.

Thats true but a council can make provision limited and poor, as already happens and nothing will be done.

Farage has already said he wants rid of DEI managers, anyone with half brain knows it wont solve the crisis in council funding but it sounds good and it will affect women and the disabled the most but that xxxx wont care.

Vile man.

Lol! what extra funding???

Why on earth do you think parents who can afford it, send their children to private schools?

What do you mean they haven't improved? Of course they've improved! Lots of SEN children are growing up to become independent, successful adults thanks to the interventions and support they've received. Remove the funding and you'll soon see.

This!

My child is having an education thanks to her EHCP which will lead to employment
and her paying taxes.

Yes, they can decide how many educational psychologists and specialist teachers to employ.

Mine too ❤️

https://www.countycouncilsnetwork.org.uk/educational-outcomes-for-send-pupils-have-failed-to-improve-over-the-last-decade-despite-costs-of-these-services-trebling-new-independent-report-reveals/

No they haven’t sadly

No diagnosis is needed for access arrangements.

The people who commissioned the report and did the report are the people whining about having to fund SEN so hardly non biased.

And this is all they had to say re outcomes

”At the end of primary school in 2022/23, only 8 per cent of children and young people with EHCPs achieved the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics – exactly the same percentage who achieved that level in 2016/17. At the other end of the age spectrum, only 30 per cent of young people with EHCPs achieved Level 2 by age 19 compared with nearly 37 per cent who achieved this level in 2014/15.”

Many on EHCPs don’t have “expected “ or “level 2” as a goal because they will never ever reach that. They have lower targets - which they attain and wouldn’t without an EHCP.

So basically they’re saying unless you’re likely to get “expected”or level 2 which many with an EHCP won’t and why would you need one if you were you’re not worthy of an education, making progress or achieving educational goals relevant to you. 🤔

They absolutely have for individual children! People aren't statistics.

It’s manipulated data by councils to get out of funding EHCPs and ludicrous. Where is the proper data?

Where is the data for pupils whose goals are a lot lower or higher say just to get functional maths or English or level 3? There are a whole host of important goals that aren’t “expected”or level 2 on EHCPs and never will be. Being able to read and write is as important for some children as expected and level 2 are for others.

But we look at statistics when deciding governance as it’s about economies of scale etc