Is your child’s support at risk?

Gideon Amos MP says he has “serious concerns” about proposed reforms to Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) support, a view shared by local campaigners and SEND advocates in Taunton and Wellington.

The Department for Education has set out its vision for SEND and around £4 billion of extra funding over the next three years in a white paper published earlier this week which includes the proposed reducing the use of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) apart from the most complex special educational needs. The document also proposes reassessment of EHCPs when children move up to the next stage of their education.

Most of the proposed funding has been earmarked for increasing SEND provision in mainstream schools to run targeted interventions, commission local professionals such as occupational therapists and speech and language therapists and create 60,000 new places for children with SEND.

Gideon commented: “Any new investment in education is, of course, welcome. But proposals to reassess children’s Education, Health and Care Plans when they move schools and to limit appeal tribunals’ powers to direct placements where parents request it, are both deeply concerning.

“If these changes are designed to reduce the number of children accessing specialist support, then the suggested funding increases for mainstream schools, approximately £20,000 to £40,000 for primary schools and £50,000 to £70,000 for secondary schools, simply will not be enough. Families and children risk being left short-changed.

"With some private providers making £40 to £50 million in profits from disabled children and special education it's also really disappointing the government is not importing a cap on these profits.

"Unacceptable delays in the system have to be addressed urgently. Disabled children cannot be left waiting months, sometimes years, for the support they are legally entitled to receive. Timescales must be accelerated and accountability strengthened.

“Special schools need proper, sustained investment to meet growing demand, not further cutbacks. The priority must be ensuring that every child receives the right support, in the right setting, at the right time.”

Laura Brown, from Taunton, advocates for autistic individuals, the SEND crisis, and, most notably, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for which she was nominated in The Contact Awards 2025 in the changemaker category.

Laura has concerns that the white paper is a “money saving exercise” and will not stop SEND children being failed.

She added: “I have many concerns including the legality of it all and parental rights.

“There are also no definitions of words such as ‘most complex needs’ and ‘no child will lose effective support’, where are the definitions of these hugely important phrases?

“To me, there’s also a very worrying lack of training and funding to specialist schools within the £4 billion set aside, teachers are becoming SEND experts with what still looks to be very minimal training.

“On the whole I feel the paper shows a fundamental misunderstanding about our lives - simply put, mainstream school just won’t work for so many SEND children”.

Claire Naylor (pictured left), founder of Coffee, Chat and Support CIC, a non-profit based at The Den Coffee House which is dedicated to supporting parents through the EHCP process also shared her concerns.

Claire commented: “A child sitting in a mainstream classroom is not automatically included, inclusion is about safety, belonging, understanding, and support that is delivered consistently and appropriately.

“Strengthening mainstream provision is important but it must not come at the cost of specialist settings.”

Gideon has confirmed that he will be arranging a meeting with the SEND community in Taunton and Wellington to ensure that their views on the white paper are heard in Parliament.