Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Accepted
Unsustainable EHC plan levels highlight insufficient early support and parental distrust
Conclusion
Current levels of EHC plans are unsustainable; however, the solution to this cannot be to remove the statutory entitlements from a system which lacks accountability in many other areas and in which parents already have so little trust and confidence. We have heard throughout our inquiry from parents, schools, and the Department for Education that the increased need for EHC plans is due to support not being provided through ordinarily available provision and SEN support, leading to a lack of trust from parents. We have also seen that for many children and young people with less complex needs, high quality support can be provided without a plan. While some pupils will always need an EHC plan, evidence indicates that mainstream schools and multi-academy trusts practising real inclusivity generate fewer EHC plans, as they meet more students’ needs effectively without them. (Conclusion, Paragraph 92)
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of early intervention, noting it is central to the early years agenda and the Best Start in Life strategy. It outlines ongoing actions to make inclusive practice standard, increase funding for providers, fund Best Start Family hubs, and provide early language interventions, all aimed at supporting children earlier to potentially reduce the need for EHC plans.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Early. Children should receive the support they need as soon as possible. This will start to break the cycle of needs going unmet and getting worse, instead intervening upstream, earlier in children’s lives when this can have most impact. Supporting children with SEND is central to the early years agenda. The government recognises the important role the early years sector plays in early intervention to ensure the right support is put in place for children as soon as possible, and that every child, including those with SEND, should have access to a high-quality early years place that meets their individual needs and nurtures their development. We are making changes to improve the system for children with SEND already. The Best Start in Life strategy means a stronger focus on early identification, inclusive access to early years education, and tailored family support. We are doing this by: making inclusive practice standard practice, working with early years educators, including Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), to embed inclusive practice across all early years teaching and qualifications; increasing the funding available to providers to support children with SEND; funding Best Start Family hubs in every local authority; and funding evidenced-based early language interventions to enable early language development and identify SEND at the earliest opportunity. We will continue to ensure every reception class benefits from fully funded access to proven programmes such as the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI).