A Commons committee has pressed the government to curb costly special needs referrals and instead bolster in-school support, as ADHD diagnoses rise and SEND funding comes under strain. The Education Select Committee describes the current system as broken and says mainstream schools should provide more of the help now delivered through Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
In its report, the committee highlighted a 50 per cent real-terms increase in SEND spending since 2018, driven in part by an 80 per cent rise in the number of EHCPs. It also cited research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showing a surge in diagnoses of ADHD, autism and speech and language needs as a key factor behind the growing demand for these plans. The Labour Party is preparing a white paper with proposals to reform SEND funding, the committee noted. The report argues that lower-end needs should be addressed inside schools rather than escalating to EHCPs, which it says have become financially crippling for councils and frustrating for families.
The committee warned that many pupils with milder or earlier-stage needs do not receive adequate help at school because resources are stretched. When problems are left to fester, families often turn to EHCP applications to access support, even though EHCPs were originally intended for the most acute needs. This dynamic, the report says, helps drive longer waiting lists and creates an unsustainable cycle for local authorities.
To curb this trend, the report calls for the government to publish statutory requirements for all schools to have the capacity to address these cases before escalation. It should specify the minimum resources, specialist expertise and equipment that every school should possess, the committee said. Teachers would also receive enhanced training to identify and support needs early, and the support should be provided before or without a formal diagnosis whenever possible. The report adds that identifying needs early would enable mainstream provision and reduce reliance on EHCPs in the long run, helping to stabilise finances for schools and local authorities and make SEND a shared responsibility across the whole school.
Education Committee chair Helen Hayes said the inquiry had confirmed that the SEND system was “broken, long past needing repair, and chronically letting down children, their families and their teachers.” She described the report as presenting a “vision for how the Government can realise its laudable aim of making mainstream education inclusive to the vast majority of children and young people with SEND.” Hayes argued that a genuinely inclusive, well-resourced mainstream system would reduce the pressure on EHCPs and deliver more sustainable funding over time.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson acknowledged the report’s findings, saying it highlighted “deep-rooted issues” that have plagued SEND for too long. She pledged to continue listening to families, teachers and experts as the government works to transform outcomes for every child with SEND, building on work already underway. Phillipson noted actions already taken to expand places for children with SEND, improve teacher training and roll out Best Start Family Hubs in local areas, while emphasizing the need for evidence-based, routine support for all students who need it.
The government’s current aim, the committee suggested, is to shift a portion of SEND support into the mainstream education system while ensuring that schools have the capacity and skills to respond early. If implemented, the report says the approach could reduce the rising demand for complex EHCPs and place school and local authority finances on a more sustainable footing. The next steps, according to the committee, include finalizing policy details and costings, and ensuring any reforms align with the broader push to make education more inclusive and equitable for all students.