The government’s Schools White Paper, originally expected earlier this year, then autumn, has been delayed again, now until the new year.
In a letter to the Chairwoman of the Education Select Committee, Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:
“To help us deliver the most effective set of reforms we can, I have taken the decision to have a further period of co-creation, testing our proposals with the people who matter most in this reform – the families – alongside teachers and other experts.”
In her letter, the Education Secretary describes five principles that will underpin the government’s SEND reforms, including that children should receive the support they need as soon as possible; that children and young people with SEND should be able to learn at a school close to home alongside their peers rather than travelling long distances from their family and community; and that every school should be resourced and able to meet common predictable needs.
Our Cabinet Member with responsibility for services that support children and young people with SEND, Councillor Denise Bickley, said:
“I am disappointed, but not surprised by this further delay.
“The government needs to get its act together. The national education system supporting children and young people is fundamentally broken.
“Parents are saying it, councils are saying it, experts are all saying that the entire education system needs a review and that it needs re-setting.
“The current system is not fit for purpose, and it’s failing children and young people and their families.
“We need to be really brave, and in Devon, I believe that we are leading that.
“It is gratifying to see that the plans we are making align directly with the points that the Education Secretary herself describes as the underpinning principles in her letter.
“We in Devon are focusing on providing young people with the right support, in the right place and at the earliest opportunity.
“We’re working with mainstream schools to improve inclusion, so that more children with additional needs can attend their local school with their friends, rather than travel distances.
“I just hope that the government is listening to what experts are saying. I hope that this pause is to ensure that change is meaningful and far-reaching.
“We need this government to be brave with reform and I truly hope that they are not watering down the complete re-set that needs to happen, and that children, young people and their families need to start benefiting from urgently.
“In the meantime councils need to be adequately resourced to prop up the system until it is fixed. All councils are struggling to maintain services and remain viable whilst facing unsustainable costs.”
