PaCC responds to Education Committee’s ‘Solving the SEND Crisis’ inquiry
The government’s Education Committee launched a major inquiry aimed at finding solutions to the ongoing crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision. The inquiry will focus on stabilising the system in the short term while working towards long-term sustainability and improved outcomes for children and young people.
The inquiry will examine all phases of education and development, from early years through to age 25, addressing key areas such as:
- Making mainstream education more inclusive by improving support, training, and curriculum adaptations for SEND students.
- Increasing SEND provision through better local planning and capital investment in specialist places.
- Reforming SEND funding to address rising council deficits while maintaining support levels.
- Reviewing the education, health and care plan (EHCP) system to explore alternative approaches without reducing essential support.
- Ensuring more consistent provision across different local authorities and identifying best practices.
- Enhancing accountability by evaluating Ofsted’s role in assessing SEND provision.
- Learning from international models to improve outcomes for children, parents, and carers.
PaCC has submitted a written response to this inquiry, which we will share once it has been published on the Government’s website, as per their instructions.
With consultations and inquiries coming thick and fast from the Government, PaCC makes every effort to respond. In some cases, like the Solving the SEND Crisis inquiry, we provide a written submission. However, when capacity is tight, we ensure parent carer voices are still heard by feeding back to the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) so they can include our perspectives in their national response on behalf of parent carer forums across the country.
We will continue to keep our members updated on the progress of this inquiry and any developments that may impact families in Brighton & Hove.