A major new parliamentary inquiry has been launched in a bid to find new solutions to the growing crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision.
The probe will focus on how to stabilise the broken system short-term, and how to achieve “long-term sustainability with improved outcomes for children and young people”.
It has been launched by the Education Committee – a cross-party committee of backbench MPs which scrutinises the spending, policies and administration of the Department for Education and its associated bodies.
Chair Helen Hayes MP said “across the country, children are being let down” by the SEND current provision, while the crisis is “bleed[ing] into the rest of the education system”, and leaving many local authorities facing “effective bankruptcy”.
Terms of reference, published by the committee today, set out the scope of the inquiry.
It will examine “every phase of education and development”, from the early years through to the age of 25. MPs will hear directly from young people, families, and professionals about their experiences of the SEND system.
The inquiry will focus on four key areas; support for children and young people with SEND; the current and future model of SEND provision; finance, funding and capacity of SEND provision; and accountability and inspection.
Here’s a round-up of what school leaders need to know…
1. MPs will look at increasing SEND capacity
The inquiry will look at how mainstream schools and other educational settings can be more inclusive to children with SEND by providing better quality support. This could include making changes to the curriculum and improving support and training for teachers.
The inquiry will also focus on increasing the capacity of SEND provision. This will include finding ways to help local councils plan sufficient SEND school places and examining capital investment.
DfE figures in March revealed there were approximately 4,000 more pupils on roll in special schools than there was reportedly capacity for, with around two-thirds of special schools full or over-subscribed.
Demand for SEND support has soared in recent years. The National Audit Office (NAO) says that between 2015 and 2024 there was a 140 per cent increase (to 576,000) in children with an EHCP alone.
2. Funding reforms to be explored, and tackling excess profit-making
The committee will also consider reforms to the way SEND is funded.
Many councils are currently facing perilous financial states having racked up “huge” deficits, by spending millions of pounds each year on SEND support.
High-needs funding has risen by 58 per cent in the last decade to £10.7 billion for 2024-25, but “has not resulted in better outcomes for children with SEN”, says the NAO.
It warned in October that local authority dedicated schools grant deficits could reach £4.6 billion by March 2026. Meanwhile it found two-fifths of LAs were at risk of issuing bankruptcy notices by March 2026, in part due to SEN costs.
A Schools Week investigation has found companies backed by private equity investors and a Middle East sovereign wealth fund running private SEND schools have made millions in profits amid a state capacity crisis.
MPs will also look at how “excess profit-making in the independent sector be tackled without endangering current provision”.
3. EHCP alternatives will be considered
Under the inquiry, MPs will also examine the EHCP system and look for potential alternatives “without reducing the level of support available”. They will also look at how effectively agencies work together across education, health and social care.
Government data recently revealed that nearly two in five decisions on EHCPs for pupils with SEND took more than six months last year – despite the deadline being 20 weeks.
MPs will also consider how SEND provision can be made more consistent across the country. Currently, quality varies widely between local authority areas.
4. Can other countries provide solutions?
“We will also look for examples of replicable best practice, as well as seeking evidence on how to make Ofsted’s accountability measures more effective,” said the committee.
It will look at how SEND support is provided in other countries, with better outcomes for children, parents and carers.
5. Time for SEND solutions
Education Committee Chair Helen Hayes MP said: “In recent years, report after report has documented the failures of the SEND system to deliver the support children and their families need.
“Despite the best efforts of professionals in schools and local authorities, across the country, children are being let down. As a committee we now want to move beyond simply pointing out the problems and focus on finding solutions that are realistic and practical for the government to implement.
“There is absolute clarity that as a country we can’t continue with this endless cycle of failure. Turning this ship around will likely take years of careful reform, but the cross-party Education Committee will play our part by making evidence-based recommendations that the government can implement.”
Call for evidence launched
The Committee is keen to hear from those with an interest in SEND including parents and carers, early years settings, schools, local authorities, and sector bodies.
Submissions can address some or all of the inquiry’s terms of reference and should be submitted to the Committee by 11.59pm on January 30.
