The government is to delay publishing its long-awaited overhaul of special educational needs provision in England as ministers seek to build a coalition among parents to support its changes.<\/p>\n
The schools white paper, which had been expected to be published this autumn, will not appear until early in the new year, according to a letter from the education secretary<\/a>, Bridget Phillipson, to the chair of the Commons education select committee, Helen Hayes.<\/p>\n Phillipson said in the letter: \u201cWe will test policy options being considered and seek views through listening sessions in every region of the country, and fortnightly ministerial meetings with key parent and expert groups. We will publicise these events clearly across the department\u2019s channels to ensure that we reach as many people as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n The white paper is expected to propose changing the funding and treatment of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) and address a big increase in associated costs as the number of children<\/a> affected by conditions such as autism and ADHD has soared.<\/p>\n Local authorities are buckling under the financial strain from increasing numbers of children and young people being assessed as needing education, health and care plans (EHCPs) detailing additional support, leading some parents to fear the government could scrap or reduce access to EHCPs.<\/p>\n Tom Rees, chair of the government\u2019s expert advisory group on Send<\/a>, said: \u201cI\u2019ve said before that reforming the Send system is both the most important and the most complex policy area in education today. There is lots of appetite for change and it\u2019s important to take the time to get this right.<\/p>\n \u201cReform of this scale can\u2019t be rushed, and I welcome the additional time so that both the expert advisory group and the government can continue to listen, develop and test ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill Revans, the leader of Somerset council and Send spokesperson for the County Councils Network<\/a>, said the delay was \u201cmassively disappointing\u201d for councils amassing \u00a36bn deficits on high needs spending by next March.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need comprehensive changes that will make the system sustainable and address the dramatic rise in costs we have seen over the last decade. Anything other than root and branch reform will place councils in a vicious cycle of overspending and worsening services for families,\u201d Revans said.<\/p>\n Government sources said ministers wanted to continue building a consensus among families and experts to deliver the changes, with ministers eager to avoid the sort of rebellion by MPs<\/a> that derailed attempts to reform disability benefits earlier this year.<\/p>\n The proximity of the white paper to next month\u2019s budget has also concerned ministers over perceptions that any changes to EHCPs or special needs provision were being driven by the need for savings.<\/p>\n A Labour source said: \u201cThis government has grasped the nettle on Send in a way in which no other party has had the courage to do, and we will make no apology in taking the time to get this right \u2013 and we will.<\/p>\n \u201cContrast that with opposition parties who offer no hope on Send: [the shadow education secretary] Laura Trott\u2019s Tory party conference speech didn\u2019t mention it once, because she knows they won\u2019t be trusted to come up with any ideas to fix a system they themselves broke.<\/p>\n