Next week, the government is expected to announce its education white paper. It is a moment, as political correspondent Alexandra Topping explains, of high political peril.
Part of the proposals will be reforms to special educational needs provision in England. And while nearly all agree that the current system is broken – extremely expensive, very divisive, and failing the most vulnerable children – the mood around the announcements is still tense. Simply put, many disability rights campaigners fear the reforms are not about improving the system, but cutting costs.
It is perhaps the most difficult moment in parliament for the government since its aborted welfare reforms last summer.
Yet away from the politics of Westminster, many families are simply anxious about what comes next. Annie Kelly hears from teenager Jake and his mum, Laura, about their experiences with schooling and whether they trust the government to reform the system for the better.
Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty Images
