The Public Accounts Committee published its report on their inquiry Support for children and young people with special educational needs today (15th January 2025). They announced their report here, you can find their report here.
We submitted evidence to the inquiry (see here).
We will post a full response in due course but our first impressions are that it conveys considerable urgency – asking for action within 6 months in a system it describes as being in crisis. Much of the focus is on EHCPs and how variable, and generally poor, local authorities are in agreeing to them within the statutory 20 week period. It also highlights how taking parents to tribunals and failing to win at this stage has reduced trust in the system. It bemoans the paucity and inconsistency of data from the Department of Education, and the lack of information as to the origins of the crisis. Much of the focus of the report is on the financial implications of the crisis for local authorities.
You can find articles on the report from BBC News here, Special Needs Jungle here and Schools Week here.
Leave a Reply