Lawyers send open letter to the Government urging rethink on SEND system reforms

IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) have published a letter, signed by 34 lawyers working within education law, calling on the Government to rethink reform of the SEND system and instead review the wealth of evidence on how and why the 2014 reforms have not worked as intended. They suggest that strengthening the accountability within the current system, rather than implementing a new set of reforms, will support children’s right to provision that meets their individual needs. This comes from their extensive experience in supporting families to secure the SEND support that their children are legally entitled to.

The letter states that “The SEND system is broken because it lacks local accountability. It is riddled with unlawful decision-making, with no negative consequences for local decision-makers – only for children and young people with SEND. In our view, the key to resolving the SEND crisis lies in finding a way to ensure that local authorities comply with the existing law and fulfil their duties to children and young people, not in implementing a new set of reforms.” 

This letter comes after the Children’s Commissioner published her own research paper around how the reforms should be set out and expressing her commitment to maintain children at the heart.

The Government response to the consultation is expected before the end of the calendar year.