Select Committee · Education Committee

Solving the SEND Crisis

Status: Open Opened: 20 Dec 2024 27 recommendations 68 conclusions 1 report

A number of recent reports have set out in detail the extent of the crisis in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, which is letting down children and their families, creating intense pressure on local authority funding and on schools. This inquiry will focus on how to achieve both short term stability and … Show more

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
5th Report - Solving the SEND Crisis HC 492 18 Sep 2025 95 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
42 Conclusion 5th Report - Solving the SEND Crisis Rejected

Reform post-16 funding condition for mandatory GCSE English and maths resits.

The post-16 condition of funding, whereby students who have not achieved a grade 4 or above in GCSE English and maths are effectively repeatedly required to take GCSE resits in those subjects as part of their programme of study, must be reformed. Despite a modest rise in overall attainment over … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government rejects the need to reform the post-16 English and maths resit policy, stating that students must continue to be supported under the condition of funding, and will strengthen this requirement for 2025/26 by setting minimum teaching hours and reducing the provider opt-out tolerance.
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Department for Education
45 Conclusion 5th Report - Solving the SEND Crisis Rejected

Introduce dedicated ring-fenced funding stream for post-16 SEN support in further education.

The Department for Education should introduce a dedicated and ring- fenced funding stream for SEN support beyond the age of 16. This would enable further education providers to recruit and retain specialist staff, provide tailored learning resources, and make the reasonable adjustments necessary to meet the diverse needs of learners … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government rejects the recommendation for a dedicated and ring-fenced funding stream for post-16 SEN support, instead highlighting existing overall increases in unringfenced schools and high needs funding, and the unringfenced nature of high needs capital funding for local authorities.
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Department for Education

Oral evidence sessions

7 sessions
Date Witnesses
1 Jul 2025 Alison Ismail · Department for Education, Catherine McKinnell MP · Department for Education View ↗
10 Jun 2025 Conrad Bourne · The Mercian Trust, Daniel Constable-Phelps · St Mary’s Primary and Nursery School, Dr Peter Gray · SSCYP (Strategic Services for Children & Young People), Dr Susana Castro-Kemp · UCL Faculty of Education and Society (IOE), Jo Hutchinson · Education Policy Institute, Nicole Dempsey · Dixons Academies Trust View ↗
13 May 2025 Adam Sproston · Ofsted, Georgina Downard · Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA), Lucy Harte · Care Quality Commission (CQC), Sharon Chappell · Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) View ↗
29 Apr 2025 Alison Stewart · South West London Integrated Care Board, Janet Harrison · The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Lisa O’Connor · Association of Educational Psychologists, Ms Marie Gascoigne · Better Communications CIC, Professor Ian Kessler · Kings College London, Sarah Walter · NHS Confederation View ↗
11 Mar 2025 Catherine McLeod MBE · Dingley's Promise, Clare Howard · Natspec, Joanna Hall, Katie Nellist, Madeline Thomas, Margaret Mulholland · Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), Miss Lucy Bowerman, Ms Annamarie Hassall MBE · The National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen), Sarah Cobb View ↗
25 Feb 2025 Claire Dorer OBE · National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools, Councillor Kate Foale · County Councils Network, Dr Luke Sibieta · Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), Phil Haslett · F40, Rob Williams · National Association of Head Teachers View ↗
28 Jan 2025 Agnes Agyepong · Global Black Maternal Health, Amanda Allard · Council for Disabled Children, Jo Harrison · National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF), Miss Imogen Steele · Contact, Mrs Hayley Harding · Let Us learn Too, Ms Katie Ghose · Kids, Tania Tirraoro · Special Needs Jungle Ltd View ↗

Who gave evidence

39 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Adam Sproston · Senior inspector for SEND and Alternative Provisi… Ofsted 1
Agnes Agyepong · CEO and founder Global Black Maternal Health 1
Alison Ismail · Director of SEND Department for Education 1
Alison Stewart · Head of SEND South West London Integrated Care Board 1
Amanda Allard · Director Council for Disabled Children 1
Catherine McKinnell MP · Minister for School Standards Department for Education 1
Catherine McLeod MBE · CEO Dingley's Promise 1
Claire Dorer OBE · Chief Executive National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools 1
Clare Howard · CEO Natspec 1
Conrad Bourne · Director for SEND The Mercian Trust 1
Councillor Kate Foale · Spokesperson for Special Educational Needs and Di… County Councils Network 1
Daniel Constable-Phelps · Executive Headteacher St Mary’s Primary and Nursery School 1
Dr Luke Sibieta · Research Fellow Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) 1
Dr Peter Gray · Co-coordinator of the National SEN Policy Researc… SSCYP (Strategic Services for Children & Young People) 1
Dr Susana Castro-Kemp · Associate Professor in Psychology and Special Nee… UCL Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) 1
Georgina Downard · Senior Solicitor Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) 1
Janet Harrison · Head of Service at Leicestershire Partnership NHS… The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists 1
Jo Harrison · Director and Co-Chair National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) 1
Jo Hutchinson · Director for SEND and additional needs Education Policy Institute 1
Joanna Hall 1
Katie Nellist 1
Lisa O’Connor · Vice President Association of Educational Psychologists 1
Lucy Harte · Deputy Director of Multi-agency Operations Care Quality Commission (CQC) 1
Madeline Thomas 1
Margaret Mulholland · Head of SEND & Inclusion Policy Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) 1
Miss Imogen Steele · Policy and Public Affairs Officer Contact 1
Miss Lucy Bowerman 1
Mrs Hayley Harding · Founder Let Us learn Too 1
Ms Annamarie Hassall MBE · CEO The National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen) 1
Ms Katie Ghose · CEO Kids 1
Ms Marie Gascoigne · speech, language and communication policy expert,… Better Communications CIC 1
Nicole Dempsey · Director of SEND and Safeguarding Dixons Academies Trust 1
Phil Haslett · Deputy Chair F40 1
Professor Ian Kessler · Professor of Public Policy and Management Kings College London 1
Rob Williams · Senior Policy Advisor National Association of Head Teachers 1
Sarah Cobb 1
Sarah Walter · Director, ICS Network NHS Confederation 1
Sharon Chappell · Assistant Ombudsman Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) 1
Tania Tirraoro · Co-Director Special Needs Jungle Ltd 1

Correspondence

19 letters
DateDirectionTitle
30 Jun 2026 To cttee Letter from Secretary of State on Inclusion Strategy for Education settings dat…
16 Jun 2026 From cttee Letter to Secretary of State for Education on Investment in the SEND Workforce …
30 Apr 2026 From cttee Letter to Secretary of State on response to SEND consultation dated 30.04.26
30 Apr 2026 From cttee Letter to Minister of State for School Standards on response to SEND consultati…
3 Mar 2026 To cttee Letter from Secretary of State for Education on Schools White Paper and SEND Co…
6 Jan 2026 Correspondence with the Royal British Legion on Solving the SEND Crisis, dated …
6 Jan 2026 Correspondence with Minister for School Standards on supporting pupils with med…
9 Dec 2025 To cttee Letter from Secretary of State for Education on Solving the SEND crisis, dated …
12 Nov 2025 From cttee Letter to Secretary of State for Education on Schools White Paper, dated 11.11.…
12 Nov 2025 From cttee Letter to Secretary of State for Education on Schools White Paper, dated 11.11.…
11 Nov 2025 To cttee Letter from Joanna Parry National Officer Education and Children’s Services, UN…
11 Nov 2025 From cttee Letter to Joanna Parry National Officer Education and Children’s Services, UNIS…
28 Oct 2025 To cttee Letter from Chris Coghlan MP Member of Parliament for Dorking and Horley on Sol…
2 Sep 2025 To cttee Letter from Joint Unions on Solving the SEND Crisis, dated 28.05.25
22 Jul 2025 To cttee Letter from Association of Educational Psychologists on Funding for training of…
24 Jun 2025 To cttee Letter from Adam Sproston HMI, Ofsted and Lucy Harte, Deputy Director, Multi-ag…
24 Jun 2025 To cttee Letter from Adam Sproston HMI, Ofsted on Multi-academy trust inspections and Co…
20 May 2025 To cttee Letter from Minister for School Standards on SEND White Paper 27.03.25
11 Mar 2025 To cttee Letter from Chair to Catherine McKinnell MP, Minister of State for School Stand…