5th Report - Solving the SEND Crisis

The government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, and created an Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion and a team of expert Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) advisors to work with schools.

The government is considering how to improve professional development for all teachers, including those teaching pupils with SEND, but commits to no specific action on mandatory training for health commissioners.

The government outlined an increase of £4.2 billion in schools and high needs funding, committed to supporting local authorities with SEND deficits until 2027–28, and allocated £740 million for high needs capital, stating these measures will help improve SEND outcomes.

The government acknowledges the importance of inclusive education and outlines its 'Plan for Change,' including establishing an Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, deploying RISE advisors, and incorporating an explicit focus on inclusion in Ofsted's new framework.

The government acknowledges the committee's report rightly highlights the deep-rooted issues within the SEND system. It states it is committed to reforming the system as part of its Plan for Change and is already taking action through investment in school places, improved teacher training, and Best Start Family Hubs.

The government acknowledges the importance of parental involvement and outlines engagement activities with stakeholders to shape reform proposals, followed by a formal consultation. However, it does not commit to providing independent advocacy, dedicated resourcing for local authorities, or a New Burdens Assessment as specifically recommended.

The government acknowledges the need for partnership and engagement to shape reform proposals, outlining specific activities and a formal consultation. However, the response does not commit to piloting new approaches via a pathfinder model or to implementing reforms gradually and in a phased manner as recommended.

The government acknowledges that the SEND system does not work for too many families, agrees with prioritising partnership working, and highlights the new SEND inspection framework launched in January 2023 to improve outcomes and local authority accountability.

The government acknowledges the importance of health and social care engagement and states it will give full consideration to the committee's recommendations for strengthening accountability frameworks, while also noting ongoing work to improve access to community health services and early interventions.

The government highlights ongoing close work with DHSC and NHS England to improve access to community health services and early interventions, and refers to the new SEND inspection framework (launched Jan 2023) as a mechanism to improve accountability and outcomes at the LA and ICB level, but does not commit to specific coordination improvements or strengthening the SRO role.

The government acknowledges the importance of early years SEND support and states it is working to embed inclusive practice and increase funding through existing strategies, but does not commit to establishing new national inclusivity requirements or reforming the Disability Access Fund.

The government acknowledges the importance of early identification and SEND awareness, detailing its ongoing 'Best Start in Life' strategy, including funding Best Start Family Hubs with trained professionals and continuing funding for early language interventions like the NELI program until AY 2028/29.

The government acknowledges the report and highlights its commitment to reforming the SEND system to deliver excellent, inclusive education.

The government acknowledges the need for teachers to be better prepared for SEND, stating that the updated Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) introduced in September 2025 includes enhanced statements on adaptive teaching and SEND, and commits to a full review of the ECTE and its approach to SEND support for Early Career Teachers in 2027.

The government acknowledges the importance of improving professional development for "all teachers" and highlights the ITTECF's enhanced SEND statements, aligning with the principle that all teachers need SEND training, but does not commit to making CPD continuous or mandatory for all beyond the early career stage.

The government's response mentions the mandatory NPQ for SENCOs and a review of NPQ frameworks in 2025 to strengthen inclusive leadership practices, which aligns with the conclusion's emphasis on strong, strategic SEND leadership.

The government acknowledges that the SEND system does not work for too many families and agrees on the importance of local authorities prioritising good partnership working, while also referencing the new SEND inspection framework.

The government agrees on the importance of local authorities prioritising good partnership working with families, stating it will give full consideration to the committee's recommendations and referencing the new SEND inspection framework.

The government acknowledges the report and highlights its commitment to reforming the SEND system to deliver excellent, inclusive education.

The government acknowledges the need for shared working across education, health, and care services, describing ongoing collaboration to improve access to community health services and ensure allied health professionals are effectively deployed. They also mention a new SEND inspection framework and state they will give full consideration to the Committee's recommendations.

The government acknowledges the importance of partnership between education, health, and care services and describes ongoing collaboration to improve access to community health services. They mention a new SEND inspection framework covering LAs and ICBs, but do not commit to specifically increasing the seniority or visibility of Senior Responsible Officers for SEND within ICBs, stating they will give full consideration to the Committee's recommendations.

The government acknowledges the report and highlights its commitment to reforming the SEND system to deliver excellent, inclusive education.

The government notes that many mainstream settings already provide specialist provision through SEN units and resourced provision and states they would like to explore how to make these practices more widespread. However, they do not commit to setting out a detailed implementation plan with specified staffing and mandatory standards for resource bases.

The government acknowledges the important role of the £740 million high needs capital funding for 2025–26 as a core investment. They state they will provide more detail on their approach across the spending review period in due course, without explicitly committing to longer-term, multi-year funding settlements.

The government acknowledges the report and highlights its commitment to reforming the SEND system to deliver excellent, inclusive education.

The government thanks the committee for its recommendations, stating it will carefully consider them while engaging with stakeholders before publishing its SEND system plans in the forthcoming Schools White Paper.