Politics / Labour’s next rebellion |
When Bridget Phillipson arrived at the Department for Education, she knew which issue would define her tenure. Within days, she was facing dozens of new Labour MPs grilling her about how she planned to overhaul the system for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). ‘From the outset we have gone out there to speak to the parliamentary Labour party,’ says an ally. ‘We know that this is a key postbag issue.’
Over the past ten years, the number of claims for special needs has exploded. A fifth of all children in England are now reported to have SEND; in Scotland, 43 per cent of pupils have some sort of additional learning need. For some policymakers, this reflects positive trends: a better awareness of mental health conditions and a shift in social expectations of what constitutes disability. Others are more critical, blaming SEND diagnoses on a change in legislation in 2014 and naivete about parents taking advantage.
Yet what no one can contest is the spiralling price tag. Half of the increase in total school spending since 2015 has gone on SEND, with expenditure hitting £11 billion a year in 2024/25. ‘Everyone can agree that something needs to be done,’ says a minister. ‘It’s just no one wants to be the one to do it.’
That task of reform now falls to Phillipson, who will set out her vision in a long-awaited white paper, expected by mid-March. It will argue that the current SEND system is unsustainable and forces parents to engage in lengthy legal processes for help. A key focus is expected to be on Education, Health........