Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
5th Report - Solving the SEND Crisis
Education Committee
HC 492
Published 18 September 2025
Recommendations
25
Deferred
Extend Local Government Ombudsman powers to cover SEND complaints in education settings
Recommendation
The Government must extend the powers of the Local Government Ombudsman to cover complaints about the delivery of EHC plans, SEN support and other appropriate inclusive education for children with SEND in schools, multi-academy trusts and other education settings. This …
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Government Response Summary
The government will work closely with the Ombudsman and Tribunal to determine their roles in a reformed SEND system, but does not commit to extending the Ombudsman's powers as recommended.
Department for Education
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85
Deferred
Place a clear statutory duty on health services for full participation in SEND provision.
Recommendation
The Government should place a clear statutory duty on health services, including ICBs and NHS providers, to ensure their full and accountable participation in the planning, commissioning, and delivery of SEND provision. This duty must align with the Children and …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the essential role of ongoing health and social care engagement and notes the non-binding nature of SEND Tribunal decisions for health bodies. They do not commit to placing a clear statutory duty on health services but state they will give full consideration to the Committee’s recommendations.
Department for Education
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92
Deferred
Review local authority powers to fulfil SEND obligations, addressing mismatches from past reforms.
Recommendation
The Government should continue to review whether local authorities have the necessary powers to fulfil their legal obligations to children and young people with SEND in order to address the mismatch between powers and responsibilities which has arisen as a …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it appreciates the committee's consideration and will respond to their recommendations concerning improving local authority accountability, including matters related to the SEND tribunal.
Department for Education
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93
Deferred
Monitor and report annually on SEND pupil numbers across all school types.
Recommendation
As it seeks to expand the capacity of specialist state schools and deliver inclusive mainstream schools, the Government should monitor and report on an annual basis on the number of pupils with SEND in mainstream schools, in specialist independent schools …
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Government Response Summary
The government thanks the committee and states it will carefully consider the recommendations while engaging with stakeholders, ahead of publishing its SEND system plans in the Schools White Paper in the new year.
Department for Education
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Conclusions (10)
5
Conclusion
Deferred
The Department must urgently assess the funding required to implement meaningful reforms to SEND provision. There must be a clear plan for how the Department will work towards this level of investment in the short and medium term, which aligns with the timeline for SEND reforms. (Recommendation, Paragraph 38)
Government Response Summary
The government details current and future funding allocations for SEND, including an increase of £4.2 billion by 2028-29 and £740 million in high needs capital for 2025-26, and will extend the Statutory Override for local authority deficits. However, it defers setting out a clear plan for how it will work towards the assessed level of investment, stating further details will be provided in the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement and in due course.
15
Conclusion
Deferred
Where EHC plans are issued, they carry a statutory duty which must be delivered in full. To make this a reality, the Department for Education should strengthen the ability of local authorities to meet these obligations by ensuring that the necessary levers are in place to compel other services, for …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of accountability and will work with the Ombudsman and Tribunal to define their roles in a reformed SEND system. They also commit to giving full consideration to the Committee's recommendations on strengthening local authority powers and cross-departmental coordination.
32
Conclusion
Deferred
The powers of the SEND Tribunal should be extended to allow it to issue binding recommendations to health services, not just education providers. This would ensure that when a failure to deliver a health provision specified in an EHC plan occurs, health bodies are legally obligated to take corrective action. …
Government Response Summary
The government notes that SEND Tribunal decisions for health services are currently non-binding but usually followed, and states it will give full consideration to extending the Tribunal's powers to issue binding recommendations to health services.
50
Conclusion
Deferred
The Department for Education must implement a continuous review and update cycle for the ITT and ECF to keep training relevant and effective. It must urgently increase the number of ITT placements and explore the viability of mandating every teacher to complete a placement in a specialist setting during ITT …
Government Response Summary
The government defers the implementation of a continuous review cycle for ITT and ECF to a full review in 2027, and does not address the urgent increase in ITT placements or exploring mandatory specialist placements.
60
Conclusion
Deferred
Learning support assistants and teaching assistants are integral to the effective delivery of SEND support and resourcing their deployment properly can help reduce the need for expensive specialist placements. To sustain and strengthen their contribution, improvements are urgently needed in the recruitment, training, CPD and retention of this workforce. We …
Government Response Summary
The government states that the newly established School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) will advise on suitable training and career progression routes for TAs and LSAs, thereby deferring action on these improvements and the concern about SEND-specific training.
61
Conclusion
Deferred
SEND content should be an integral part of teaching assistant training, and they should be provided with regular opportunities for CPD and peer support. This could be through incentivised or ring-fenced funding for schools and multi-academy trusts to release teaching assistants and learning support assistants for SEND CPD, removing practical …
Government Response Summary
The government defers action on ensuring SEND content in TA training, providing regular CPD, and offering incentivised funding to the new School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB), which will advise on suitable training routes.
76
Conclusion
Deferred
The extension of the statutory override until 2027/28 is a welcome step, but it remains a temporary measure in response to the ongoing financial instability facing local authorities across England. Reducing deficits is essential to achieving long-term financial sustainability however, this 171 cannot be done at the expense of local …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the need to support local authorities in managing SEND system deficits and reiterates the extension of the Statutory Override until 2027–28, stating that further details on plans for historic deficits will be set out in the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.
88
Conclusion
Deferred
The Department for Education should develop and implement a comprehensive capital investment strategy for SEND. This strategy should provide clarity over future funding streams, enable better forecasting and planning, and support the development of high-quality, fit-for- purpose settings across both mainstream and specialist provision. (Recommendation, Paragraph 311)
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the important role of capital funding and the £740 million for 2025–26. However, they do not commit to developing and implementing a comprehensive capital investment strategy for SEND, stating only that more detail on their approach across the spending review period will be set out in due course.
91
Conclusion
Deferred
As part of the expansion of specialist SEND, the highest-performing state specialist schools should be designated as Centres of Excellence. These schools would play a leading role in supporting the development of expertise across other schools, local authorities or multi-academy trusts by providing training, sharing best practice, and offering targeted …
Government Response Summary
The government thanks the committee and states it will carefully consider the recommendations while engaging with stakeholders, ahead of publishing its SEND system plans in the Schools White Paper in the new year.
95
Conclusion
Deferred
To plan effectively for future capacity and ensure the right support is in place, the Department must take a data driven approach, developing a more robust understanding of need by systematically gathering and analysing relevant, high-quality data. This should include a national SEND data strategy that requires local authorities and …
Government Response Summary
The government thanks the committee and states it will carefully consider the recommendations while engaging with stakeholders, ahead of publishing its SEND system plans in the Schools White Paper in the new year.