In the week that Andy Burnham took office as Prime Minister, NASS wrote to the new Prime Minister to set out four priorities for SEND reform.
Our message is clear: Government must protect rights, fund need, value specialist expertise and build capacity so that special schools can continue to deliver the high-quality specialist education and support that children and young people with SEND need to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Over the course of the week, we published four briefing papers which were sent directly to the Prime Minister.
ASK ONE: No Delays. No Detours. No Denials.
Protect EHCP rights and ensure timely access to specialist education.
Too many families already face long waits, repeated obstacles and stressful uncertainty before securing the support and placement their child needs. Reform must reduce delays — not add new stages, gateways or barriers to specialist provision.
Children with complex SEND get only one chance at childhood and one chance at education. No child should be left waiting for the right support in the right place at the right time.
ASK TWO: Assess Need. Fund Need.
Support should be funded according to children's special educational needs, not local budget pressures.
Children's needs do not reduce because budgets are under pressure..
Every child and young person with SEND deserves access to the support they need to thrive. Yet too often, decisions about provision are shaped not by assessed need, but by the financial pressures facing local systems. When funding fails to keep pace with demand, children, families and scho.ols are left carrying the consequences. Children face delays in accessing support, families face uncertainty, and schools are asked to do more with less.
ASK THREE: Retain. Recruit. Reward.
Build a sustainable specialist workforce.
The quality of the SEND system depends on the people who deliver it. Every child and young person with SEND deserves access to skilled professionals who understand their needs and can provide the specialist support required to help them thrive. Yet across education, health and care services, workforce shortages are creating increasing challenges for children, families and providers.
Whilst we welcome the government's recognition that workforce development is essential to SEND reform, recruiting more professionals will not be enough if experienced staff continue to leave the sector at unsustainable rates.
ASK FOUR: Build Capacity. Prevent Crisis.
Invest in capacity before needs escalate.
Every child and young person with SEND deserves timely support that meets their needs before difficulties escalate.
Too often, children are left waiting for support while progressing through successive thresholds, by which time needs may have become more complex, outcomes poorer, and costs significantly higher. Children should not have to wait for needs to worsen before receiving appropriate help. A system built around early intervention, flexibility and sufficient specialist capacity delivers better outcomes for children and better value for public services.
Government must invest in capacity across education, health and care services to ensure children receive the right support at the right time. That means investing in more specialist school places, strengthening capacity within existing special schools, expanding outreach and therapeutic provision, growing the specialist workforce, and creating more flexible opportunities for early intervention.