Some weeks in politics are a really powerful reminder of why it matters so much. This week has very much been one of them. Week after week in my surgeries, I hear from parents in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport about how the system of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) isn’t working for them.
I’ve sat with families who know exactly what support their child needs, yet are told it simply isn’t available. I’ve heard from parents where the waiting list for assessments for an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) is measured in months and years, not days and weeks. Plymouth’s Education team have done a remarkable job of turning around a department that was struggling to cope following years of sustained cuts by the last government. Of all the legacy of crisis the Conservatives left behind, the broken SEND system is the one that again and again breaks my heart every time I hear about the impact that it has on children, young people and their families.
That’s why I am so proud that on Monday the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, set out the government’s plans to reform and transform the system so that support comes earlier, is easier to access, and works around children and families rather than forcing them to fight for help. She has launched a consultation on an ambitious and bold vision which will see more kids getting EHCP-style support without the exhausting legal fights they face today.
By investing in better-trained teachers to deliver better access to specialist expertise in mainstream settings, Labour wants the system to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and towards education that understands and includes every child. Under our plans, children with SEND in Plymouth will get the right support when they need it, closer to home, without parents having to battle to get the better education and results their kids deserve. I want to be clear: Labour’s plans are about improving support, not removing support.
Every child who needs extra support will have a personal plan that sets out the extra help they’ll get to succeed, matched against high national standards. Every classroom will have a teacher trained to meet the needs of children with SEND, based on the latest evidence. New dedicated school funding will be there to deliver proven SEND programmes such as small-group teaching or speech and language therapies, and every secondary school will have an inclusion base where teachers can deliver additional support.
In every corner of the country, families will be able to send their child to school with confidence, backed by a new ‘Experts at Hand’ package to provide more professional support like speech and language therapists. Whether it’s children with the most complex needs or those who just need a little extra support, we will keep what works and improve what doesn’t. We are building a new system and investing in new provision so that all children in our city can achieve and thrive.
Delivering a better future for the next generation is why I came into politics, and I am so proud of the change our Labour government is bringing.