Will the government's SEND proposals improve the lives of pupils and families?

At the end of March, the government published two significant documents in the space of two days. First came the government’s plans for the future of the state school system in England, which grabbed plenty of media attention.  

Next came their new consultation on how to improve the support available to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (or SEND for short), which may not have hit as many national headlines but it could end up being far more consequential for pupils and families. 

The consultation document claimed to “outline a vision for a more inclusive, consistent, transparent and accountable SEND system”. As the consultation is still ongoing, we thought now was an excellent time to find out whether the government’s proposals really can deliver such grand and broad objectives. 

So what changes does the consultation propose? Has the government correctly identified the problems in the current system, and will their plans deliver the scale of change that so many parents, pupils, teachers and school leaders want to see? 

To help answer these questions, we brought together two special needs experts to hear their thoughts and insights. First, I spoke to Annamarie Hassall, the Chief Executive of the National Association for Special Educational Needs, about the potential benefits and drawbacks of the government’s proposals.  

And second, I spoke to Tania Tirraoro, the founder and CEO of the Special Needs Jungle website, to understand what parents and carers need from a future SEND system. 

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