Major special educational needs reforms to come 'in due course', says minister and Newcastle MP Catherine McKinnell
by James Harrison, Will Durrant Eleanor Busby and Harry Taylor, PA · ChronicleLiveSchools Minister Catherine McKinnell has refrained from committing to a specific timeline for the completion of the long-awaited special educational needs (SEN) reforms.
Ms McKinnell described the upcoming changes as "huge and complex", aiming to establish an "inclusive, mainstream" system with "high and rising standards and opportunities for all".
However, when pressed for a timescale, the Newcastle upon Tyne North MP, who accepted two hospitality tickets to see Taylor Swift's Eras Tour this summer, stated she would detail the necessary legislative and other changes "in due course".
Addressing an urgent question in the House of Commons on Thursday, following a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) which labelled the current SEN system as "financially unsustainable", Ms McKinnell responded to Conservative MP Nick Timothy's query about the timeframe for EHCP reform by saying: "I will always work with cross-party colleagues to achieve the best for all of our children in this country. "
She also addressed the criticism directed at the Government, which has been in power for only five months, regarding the current issues.
She said: "Where the blame for the current situation is being laid at a Government of five months old is something that cannot be accepted or underestimated in terms of the inheritance that we have taken on."
The Education Secretary has vowed to address the failures of the past 14 years, stating: "So, we will continue to try and to work to put right what has been failed on for the last 14 years and we are moving at pace to do that. All the work that we are doing at the Department for Education (DfE) is towards that end and we will make specific suggestions in terms of legislative changes and any other changes that need to be made of a systemic nature in due course."
Labour backbencher Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley), speaking in the Commons, urged the minister to "give people hope" for better SEN provision, sharing his experience as a maths teacher.
"As a secondary school maths teacher," he said, "I know all too well that SEN provision is not up to scratch and I have seen first-hand as both parents and children have lost hope that after 14 years of negligence by the party opposite they would ever, ever see an improvement in the system from the SEN crisis."
Responding to Conservative MPs' interjections asking "how", Ms McKinnell acknowledged the severity of the situation, adding: "It really is an appalling legacy that we have inherited of failure on this front. We have prioritised this."
She further emphasised the commitment to reform, telling the chamber: "We are absolutely determined to fix it, and it will take time, which (Mr Sewards) recognised, but we are moving at pace to fix this broken system."
Labour MP Julie Minns (Carlisle) also contributed to the debate, telling fellow MPs about her personal experience with the SEN system's shortcomings under the previous government.
Ms McKinnell urged Opposition members to approach the issue with humility, saying: "I would ask respectfully that members of the Opposition that until and unless you have walked in my shoes – and the shoes of your constituents, and this includes the shadow secretary of state (Damian Hinds) – that you show a little humility and decorum in how you respond on this issue."
Liberal Democrats education spokeswoman Munira Wilson, who tabled the urgent question, described the system as "in crisis and on the brink".
She said: "The previous Conservative government’s abject failure to tackle the systemic problems facing SEN provision have been laid bare for all to see."
Ms McKinnell agreed, stating "families and children with SEN are being failed on every measure", and acknowledged the system had "totally lost the confidence of families".
She added: "Our promise to families is that we are absolutely committed to regaining parents’ confidence in the special educational needs system, but it is a huge and complex reform, and there is no magic wand. There is no quick fix."
Regarding VAT applied to private schools, raised by Conservative shadow education minister James Wild, Ms McKinnell said the Treasury is consulting on plans to implement changes in January, ensuring no child with special educational needs on an EHCP would be adversely affected. The NAO's report has painted a grim picture of the current SEN system, which it says is "still not delivering better outcomes for children and young people or preventing local authorities from facing significant financial risks".
The spending watchdog is calling for "whole-system reform" and highlighted that: "DfE estimates that some 43% of local authorities will have deficits exceeding or close to their reserves in March 2026."
It further warned of a looming financial crisis, stating: "This contributes to a cumulative deficit of between £4.3 billion and £4.9 billion when accounting arrangements that stop these deficits impacting local authority reserves are due to end. As such, the current system is not achieving value for money and is unsustainable."
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