Reforming our schools, giving every child the chance to thrive
- Bristol South
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Far too often I am contacted by concerned parents whose children have been pushed aside, out of education for months, and whose needs are not being met.
No one doubts the current system of Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) provision is failing young people, support is delayed by a complex bureaucracy, and children miss out on the early help they need.
Rather than addressing this in isolation, we are proposing major changes which will help all children in Bristol South.
We will broaden the curriculum, preparing children for the real world of the 21st century. This means giving them the curiosity and resilience they need to succeed, as new technology rapidly changes our society. There will a focus on ensuring every child has access to opportunities in civic engagement, music, sport, life skills and nature, not just those with money. This will sit alongside the highest standards in reading, writing, speaking and numeracy.
The crucial transition between primary and secondary school will be improved, to help tackle the problem of 11-14 year olds disengaging from education. Careers programmes will be extended, so all young people can choose the opportunity that best meets their aspirations.
The current system fails many children with SEND, particularly those in working-class communities. Our plan is radical reform, so that:
“…young people with SEND get the right support earlier and when they need it, closer to home, without parents having to fight to get the better education – and results – their children deserve”
All schools will be inclusive, local schools educating local children whenever possible. With a new duty on all schools to produce, and update, an Inclusion Strategy.
There will be a new tiered approach to support, starting with a universal offer for every child in every school, which will cover most pupils. For the one in three who need extra help to learn at some point in their school lives this will be provided through three interlocking layers of help. “Targeted” support for those who need small group interventions, outlined in an individual support plan (ISP) developed with parents. “Targeted Plus” will be for those who require specialist intervention through “experts at hand”, again with an ISP, including for those who might need time-limited education in a specialist setting or alternative provision.
“Specialist” support will be provided for those with the highest most complex needs; this will be detailed in an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
These plans will be backed by significant investment in our children, including £1.6 billion to help schools develop the new inclusive system, £200 million for additional staff training, £3.7 billion in capital expenditure and £1.8 billion to create the new “experts at hand” service.
For those who do need specialist education, £740 million has already been allocated for 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND.
It is vital for children that we get his right, so the transition will be staged over the coming decade.
All existing EHCPs will remain in place until September 2030. Every child will have the legal right to be included in their local schools, to the support which will help them learn and achieve their potential.
I know that many of our schools here in Bristol South are working hard to ensure they are inclusive places of learning, challenging all their pupils to do their very best. Our plans, and the money which will be spent, should mean every child has access to such a local school.
A consultation on the plans opened at the end of February and runs until 18 May, please do share your views.
