This article was originally published in the Sunderland Echo. To view the original click here.
Last week’s report from the National Audit Office (NAO) laid bare what many families in Sunderland and across the country already knew: the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system left behind by the Conservatives is broken.
The NAO’s report confirmed what constituents told me when out on the doorstep and at my regular community meetings: there had been no consistent improvement in outcomes for children with SEND, families have lost confidence in the system and there is a need for whole-system reform.
But how did we get here?
I was mortified when the previous Conservative Education Secretary said the system her Party had overseen for well over a decade was ‘lose, lose, lose’.
And since leaving government, the Tories doubled down. The current Conservative Shadow Education Minister has said his own government ‘did not do enough’ on SEND and they should ‘hang [their] heads in shame’ over their record.
I agree completely and I know families across Sunderland with lived experience of the system will too.
Those same families are now, rightly, asking where we go from here. This government was elected on a mandate for change, we are determined to deliver that.
We won’t make false promises, I know you are tired of that – you’ll know as I do that fixing the system will require complex reform and there is no magic wand.
But we are getting on with the hard work.
One of the first things I did when entering government was change the way it approached SEND. I brought it in from the cold, putting it at the heart of everything we do.
I’ve been looking at best practice in our region, visiting Mount Pleasant Primary in Darlington – an inclusive school where they have an autism unit. That way, more children can attend their local school with their friends.
We also want to ensure specialist provision is available to support the children who need it, just like the amazing work I saw at Sunningdale School in Doxford.
We will work with teachers, parents, children and staff that for so long have been trying so hard but have been set up to fail by the Tories’ broken system.
Crucially, we are engaging with the SEND community, to hear views and experiences as we set the direction for reform.
This is a mission-driven government and to fulfil our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child, we must address SEND. I am determined to do that.
Labour will build a system where every child is able to achieve and thrive.