Special Educational Needs
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to require children in current possession of an education, health and care plan to reapply when the new SEND reforms have been delivered.
Answered by Georgia Gould
The government's consultation on ‘Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform: putting children and young people first’ has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses alongside feedback from over 200 engagement events we held over 12 weeks.
Under the department’s proposals, children and young people who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan will not have to reapply under our new system. From the start of the 2029/30 academic year, when the new legislation comes into effect, children and young people with EHC plans in mainstream settings will have their support reassessed automatically at the end of their education phase (year 6 or year 11), and a decision will be made about how the support they need is delivered in the new system. Following the review parents will be able to appeal to the SEND Tribunal about the decision taken following reassessment.
We have put in place a triple lock of transitional protections that mean no child will lose effective support already in place. This means that every child who has a special school place in 2029 will keep it until they finish education; transition for those children with an EHC plan in mainstream will only begin from 2030 once the new inclusive mainstream system has been fully built, and will take place as children naturally move between phases; and Individual Support Plans will be put in place for all children who are transitioning from an EHC plan before they move to the new system to ensure no break in support.
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