“Councils want to ensure that every child with SEND gets the support they need to receive the fulfilling education they deserve.
Responding to latest figures published today on the number of Education, Health and Care Plans issued in the past year, Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children, Young People and Families Committee, said:
“Councils want to ensure that every child with SEND gets the support they need to receive the fulfilling education they deserve.
“These figures however are a reminder of the continued rise in need which the current system is struggling to meet.
“The Government’s SEND reforms can improve the outcomes of children and young people with SEND but there is a real risk these could be undermined by the existing broken system.
“It is vital government works closely with councils, not just to deliver the reforms but to tackle the present challenges in the system.
“This should include writing off councils’ high needs deficits in full, to ensure financial sustainability for councils.”