06-07-2025
Labour poised to scrap support for special needs pupils
Ministers are poised to scrap the system which ensures pupils with special needs such as autism and ADHD get personalised support at school.
The Government is considering ditching bespoke-education plans for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) under a wholesale review of the current model.
On Sunday, Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, repeatedly refused to rule out scrapping education, health and care plans (EHCPs) – legally binding documents that spell out Send children's individual teaching requirements.
She said the Government would 'make sure that every child gets the support maintained that they need' but three times declined to say whether she would axe the EHCPs when asked by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg.
Ministers are concerned the state-funded support packages are hoovering up much of the £11 billion annual special-needs budget without delivering better outcomes for vulnerable children.
Councils are legally bound to pay for additional help stated on the tailored care plans, which sometimes demand pupils are sent to private Send schools with fees of up to £100,000.
However, autism and ADHD charities voiced concerns they could be prioritised for cuts to extra support after figures showed ballooning EHCPs for children with those conditions.
A record 639,000 children in England currently hold an EHCP following an 11 per cent rise in the year to January, with the figure almost doubling over the past six years.
There are fears that the figure could be pushed even higher by private school families priced out by Labour's 20 per cent VAT on fees, which came into force in January.
Around one in five private school pupils – or 100,000 – have some form of Send, with private school parents claiming they have flocked to the sector after giving up in the battle for an EHCP.
The recent increase in ECHPs has largely been driven by three types of need: autistic spectrum disorder; speech, language and communication needs; and social, emotional and mental health needs, which include ADHD.
That trio now accounts for almost three-quarters of all EHCPs, while severe learning difficulties and physical disabilities make up just four per cent respectively.
But Tom Nicholls, assistant policy director at the National Autistic Society, warned that scrapping the plans would rip up the main legal mechanism for those children to obtain extra support.
'EHCPs have those two crucial aspects – they're the only place that brings together planning across education, health and care, and also provide that legal accountability to give children the assurance that they are going to get what they have a right to,' he told The Telegraph.
'That needs to be enshrined. Everyone's really concerned that they might disappear, either from them or from the system.'
'No doubt EHCP system could be better'
Others said they feared scrapping EHCPs could prove a backdoor for the Government to slash support, after Sir Keir Starmer last week was forced to reverse cuts to benefits and personal independence payment (Pip).
Henry Shelford, chief executive of Autism UK, said: 'There's no doubt that the EHCP system could be better.
'But I think following what's happened with Pip and seeing what's happened with ADHD and the NHS, it's very hard to trust that the Government is going to actually put something in that's better, and not use any change as an excuse to withdraw support so that it can cut costs.'
A government source said the Send review would aim to slash the costly bureaucracy of drawing up EHCPs and plug the savings into extra support in mainstream schools.
Ms Phillipson has described the current system as 'broken', with a White Paper outlining the reforms expected to be published this autumn.
It means Labour is expected to face a fresh battle with Left-wing MPs and special-needs charities over potential cuts after the summer recess.
Ms Phillipson told the BBC: 'What I can say very clearly is that we will strengthen and put in place better support for children but I do just need to put this in the wider context of where we are at the moment.'
'Government is working with parents and experts'
A government source said: 'There will always be a legal right to the additional support that children with Send need and we will protect it.
'This Government is prepared to grasp the nettle and reform a broken system set up by the Conservatives that they themselves described as 'lose, lose, lose'.
'We will ensure that every child in this country gets the opportunity to achieve and thrive at school, and get on in life.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'The evidence is clear that this Government inherited a Send system left on its knees – which is why we are looking at changes to improve support for children and stop parents having to fight for help.
'We have been clear that there are no plans to abolish Send tribunals, or to remove funding or support from children, families and schools.
'This Government is actively working with parents and experts on the solutions, including more early intervention to prevent needs from escalating and £740 million to encourage councils to create more specialist places in mainstream schools.
'As part of our Plan for Change, we will restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for so every child can achieve and thrive.'
