\n<\/p>\n
The legal rights of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) are still under threat. The government\u2019s proposed Send and education otherwise than at school (Eotas) reforms would significantly reduce existing legal rights to enforceable education, health and care plans (EHCPs), parental choice of educational settings and independent routes of appeal.<\/p>\n
We support the government\u2019s ambitions for a more inclusive education system. Better teacher training, earlier identification of need, greater specialist expertise and a properly staffed workforce are all necessary. But none of these initiatives require children and families to surrender the legal protections they currently have.<\/p>\n
The proposals impact everything from how children and young people qualify for statutory support, what can be written into EHCPs, who decides the provision delivered, where children and young people are educated, how families can challenge poor decisions, and whether children and young people who cannot attend school can secure suitable education elsewhere. The Children and Families Act 2014 places children and families at the centre of decision-making, and the current proposals reverse this.<\/p>\n
This is not simply a technical change to Send law. When provision is unsuitable or unavailable, legal rights are often the mechanism through which families can secure a suitable education for their child. A promise that the system will work better cannot substitute for an enforceable right when it does not.<\/p>\n
Lucy Powell was a member of the education select committee during its 2019 Send inquiry. The committee concluded that the 2014 reforms were the right ones if problems of implementation and funding were addressed, and specifically warned the government against responding to those problems by \u201cweakening or watering down duties\u201d. We therefore urge ministers to work with Send families and organisations to retain existing Send\u00a0legal rights, preserve individual provision, improve accountability in the system, and retain meaningful independent routes of appeal.<\/p>\n
A genuinely inclusive education system should reduce the number of families who need to enforce their rights. It should not reduce their rights when the system fails.<\/p>\n
Chris Packham<\/strong> Broadcaster and campaigner<\/em> The legal rights of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) are still under threat. The government\u2019s proposed Send and education otherwise than at school (Eotas) reforms would significantly reduce existing legal rights to enforceable education, health and care plans (EHCPs), parental choice of educational settings and independent routes of appeal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[166,1018,324,13566,702,1017],"class_list":{"0":"post-52427","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-justice","8":"tag-children","9":"tag-educational","10":"tag-legal","11":"tag-retained","12":"tag-rights","13":"tag-special"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/52428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Carrie Grant<\/strong> Broadcaster and Send parent<\/em>
Sally Phillips<\/strong> Actor, campaigner and Send parent<\/em>
Kamran Mallick<\/strong> CEO, Disability Rights UK<\/em>
Daniel Kebede<\/strong> General secretary, National Education Union<\/em>
Kellie Bright<\/strong> Actor, campaigner and Send parent<\/em>
Simon Baron-Cohen<\/strong> Professor in the departments of psychology and psychiatry, University of Cambridge<\/em>
Dr Virginia Bovell<\/strong> Founder of Treehouse\/Ambitious About Autism, author,<\/em> campaigner and Send parent<\/em>
Luke Clements<\/strong> Cerebra professor of law and social justice, Leeds University<\/em>
Eliza Fricker<\/strong> Missing the Mark<\/em>
John Harris<\/strong> Journalist, writer and Send parent<\/em>
Robin Ince<\/strong> Comedian, author and broadcaster<\/em>
Paula McGowan<\/strong> Campaigner<\/em>
David Mitchell<\/strong> Author and Send parent<\/em>
Rosa Monckton<\/strong> Peer, and disability and Send campaigner<\/em>
Saba Salman<\/strong> Journalist and campaigner<\/em>
Sara Ryan<\/strong> Professor of social care, Manchester Metropolitan University<\/em>
Ian Birrell<\/strong> Journalist and disability campaigner<\/em>
Stephen Unwin<\/strong> Director, writer and Send parent<\/em>
Gareth Hitchin<\/strong> Autism Dadcast<\/em>
Cathy Wassell<\/strong> CEO, Autistic Girls Network<\/em>
Marsha Martin<\/strong> Founder, Black SEN Mamas<\/em>
Suzy Yardley<\/strong> CEO, Child Autism UK<\/em>
Carol Boys<\/strong> CEO, Downs Syndrome Association<\/em>
Madeleine Cassidy<\/strong> CEO, IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice)<\/em>
Samantha Clark<\/strong> CEO, Learning Disability England<\/em>
Alison Bloomer<\/strong> Editor, Learning Disability Today<\/em>
Claire Dorer<\/strong> CEO, National Association of Special Schools<\/em>
Andy Stevenson<\/strong> CEO, Reverse Rett<\/em>
Rachel Filmer<\/strong> Founder, Send Rights Alliance<\/em>
Sharon Pratt<\/strong> Founding member, Send National Crisis<\/em>
Tania Tirraoro<\/strong> Founder and co-director, Special Needs Jungle<\/em>
Dr Mine Conkbayir<\/strong> Early years researcher, author and consultant<\/em>
Ruth Madeley<\/strong> Actor and disability campaigner<\/em>
Anonymous co-founder<\/strong> Measure What Matters<\/em>
Tee Jay Chetwynd<\/strong> Teenage Send campaigner and advocate<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"