Our cabinet member responsible for services that support young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), says that she is disappointed to hear little of substance in the Chancellor’s spending review this afternoon regarding national reform of the SEND system.
Councillor Denise Bickley said that by not prioritising change to the SEND system today, the Government is kicking the can down the road and failing thousands of children and their families.
The government says details of the government’s intended approach to SEND reform and how it will support local authorities will be set out in the schools’ white paper in the autumn.
Councillor Bickley said:
Councillor Denise Bickley, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services – SEND, said:
“Autumn is not soon enough. The current system is failing our children nationwide, today. Rising demand, year on year, increasing costs to meet demand, and funding that has left local authorities across the country unable to keep up; clearly there’s an immediate need for national reform of the system.
“The spending review document mentions £547 million allocated for plans to ‘reform the SEND system to improve pupil outcomes’, but we will have to wait to see how that will be spent.
“Identifying school placements for children and young people with SEND can be challenging. Our focus is to help schools be more inclusive so that young people can attend their local mainstream school, with the support they need, alongside their friends. At the same time, we are increasing capacity within specialist schools and settings for young people with more complex needs.
“We understand that there are generally better outcomes for the majority of children and young people where their learning is alongside friends and peers within their own communities. That’s why we are focusing on improving inclusion in our schools, reducing our reliance on the independent sector and use of out of county provision.”
“At present, mainstream school budgets are under increasing pressure, with teaching assistant numbers falling and class sizes rising. It is unsustainable to continue expecting schools to do more with less, while facing pressure to maintain standards of behaviour, improve academic results and meet the needs of every child. We therefore welcome the extra funding for the schools’ budgets of which we hope the South West gets a fair share, correcting the poor funding deal our children currently get compared to the national picture.”
Councillor James Buczkowski, Cabinet Member for Finance, said:
“While there are some welcome commitments to long-term investment in health, education, and skills, from a Devon perspective—and particularly through the lens of children, care, and community the Spending Review is disappointingly silent.
“There is no mention of Devon. No mention of Cullompton (train station) and critically, no mention of the SEND deficit or the statutory override. That’s a glaring omission.
“The Government talks about reforming SEND and improving inclusion, and I welcome that. But we cannot talk about reform without confronting the legacy of underfunding and the accumulated deficits many councils – including Devon – are carrying.
“Once again, local government is expected to do more with less, absorb the risk, and somehow transform services without a plan to clear the books.“On local growth, the focus is overwhelmingly on city regions in the North and Midlands. There’s nothing for rural areas, no targeted investment, no fair share for Devon. Yet we’re still expected to deliver the same ambition on housing, transport, and decarbonisation, without the fiscal tools or tailored support.
“So while the Spending Review sets out a central mission to fix public services and grow the economy, it does so without a rural strategy, without a SEND debt solution, and without recognising the lived reality in places like Cullompton, Bradninch, and Kentisbeare. We need to keep making the case—for fair funding, for local control, and for an honest settlement that doesn’t pass the buck to overstretched councils.”
