This page collates all our information about the SEND Review, Green Paper and the 2023 SEND Improvement Plan

About the SEND Improvement Plan
The Government’s SEND Improvement Plan was published on 2 March 2023. Below are key links, including to Department for Education official publications. Scroll down to read our articles on the issue.
Useful Links:
- How does the the SEND Improvement Plan intend to create more accountability?
- WEBINAR RECORDING: Will the SEND Improvement Plan fix provision for disabled children and young people?
- Will non-statutory National Standards improve SEND or just create confusion and more unlawful behaviour?
- Will the SEND and AP Improvement Plan improve the lives of 16-25 year olds with SEND?
- Is the DfE’s SEND funding “safety valve” on a collision course with schools and families?
- Are new SEND financial accountability measures compatible with lawful SEND provision?
- The Government’s SEND Improvement Plan: SNJ’s initial overview
- SEND and alternative provision improvement plan
- Message to parents of children with SEND from Claire Coutinho MP, Minister for Children, Wellbeing and Families - The Education Hub
- Consultation outcome document
- BSL explanation of the executive summary
- SEND AP Roadmap
- SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan Video
About the SEND Review
- The SEND Review was published on Tuesday 29th March 2022. The consultation closed on July 22nd
- There is a dedicated website with alternative versions, languages and formats here
- The Green Paper is a DISCUSSION document, split into six chapters, with 22 consultation questions.
- See a list of all SNJ's posts on the SEND Review, including our analysis articles.
- Alternative versions of the consultation document: Large print PDF version | Order a copy | Easy read version | British Sign Language (BSL) version | Guide for children and young people
- Can you help support our work?
SNJ’s Consultation Response
You can read the Special Needs Jungle response to the SEND Review Green Paper Consultation here. You can also find links to those of other organisations
Our posts on the SEND Review and SEND Improvement Plan
SEND Minister denies the Government is aiming to cut EHCPs by 20% with an emphatic, but unconvincing, explanation
Tania Tirraoro
September 22, 2023
DBV Part 2: 20% EHCP cuts? After repeated denials, the Department for Education‘s got some explaining to do…
Special Needs Jungle
September 11, 2023
Miracles and magic: Delivering Better Value in SEND. But better value for whom?
Matt Keer
September 8, 2023
A new SEND minister NOW? Disabled children deserve better than to be a government testing ground for ambitious MPs
Tania Tirraoro
August 31, 2023
We must keep pushing for more autism education says charity leader, amid growing anger and confusion over Government SEND plans
Special Needs Jungle
June 20, 2023
Research: Meeting the SEND needs of disabled children early delivers £380k return per learner and dividends for society
Special Needs Jungle
June 8, 2023
Is the Government rationing EHC plans?
Catriona Moore
May 25, 2023
Webinar Recording: “We’re not even testing mandatory mediation” SEND Minister, Claire Coutinho answers your questions
Special Needs Jungle
May 3, 2023
How will the Government’s new NPQ SENCO qualification improve SEND provision?
Hannah Moloney
April 25, 2023
SNJ WEBINAR: SEND Minister Claire Coutinho discusses the SEND Improvement Plan. Register now!
Tania Tirraoro
April 19, 2023
Better co-production is crucial for improving SEND provision. But are the Government’s plans a case of magical thinking?
Sharon Smith
April 4, 2023
How does the Government intend to fund its new SEND Improvement plan?
Matt Keer
March 29, 2023
WEBINAR RECORDING: Will the SEND Improvement Plan fix provision for disabled children and young people?
Tania Tirraoro
March 16, 2023
Will non-statutory National Standards improve SEND or just create confusion and more unlawful behaviour?
Catriona Moore
March 15, 2023
How does the the SEND Improvement Plan intend to create more accountability?
Matt Keer
March 9, 2023
The Government’s SEND Improvement Plan: an initial overview
Tania Tirraoro
March 2, 2023
New SENCO research questions the SEND Review’s “irresponsible” plans to downgrade the NASENCO award
Special Needs Jungle
February 27, 2023
A response to our letter to Ministers about the SEND Review
Special Needs Jungle
February 14, 2023
Why the DfE’s SEND Adviser,, Tony McArdle, is wrong, wrong, wrong: Matt’s Director’s Cut
Matt Keer
January 27, 2023
Don’t make it harder to get EHCPs warns Equality and Human Rights Commission as DfE considers “raising the bar”
Tania Tirraoro
January 26, 2023
Join our call for Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, to PAUSE further SEND reform plans and PUBLISH the SEND Review responses now!
Special Needs Jungle
December 21, 2022
A failure of Children and Families Act implementation does not mean rip it up and start again m’luds
Catriona Moore
December 7, 2022
Parents call on SEND Minister to invest in deaf children missing vital support in schools
Matt Keer
December 5, 2022
School staff need a pay rise, but when LAs don’t pass on government funding, it’s SEND pupils who suffer most
Matt Keer
November 30, 2022
Ofsted: New area SEND inspection framework can be a “catalyst for change”
Special Needs Jungle
November 29, 2022
With no ministerial oversight for months, has the SEND Review lost legitimacy? Here’s what needs to happen now
Tania Tirraoro
November 2, 2022
Could the SEND Review’s “big ideas” wither on the vine of political uncertainty?
Catriona Moore
October 25, 2022
Is NHS England breaking a promise to roll out eye care for disabled children in all special schools?
Tania Tirraoro
October 14, 2022
New SEND Minister, Kelly Tolhurst: many responsibilities but none so important as disabled children’s futures
Catriona Moore
September 28, 2022
SNJ’s response to the EHCP Annual Review Timescales consultation
Special Needs Jungle
September 2, 2022
Special Needs Jungle’s #SENDReview Consultation response
Tania Tirraoro
July 26, 2022
#SENDReview: National standards plans are an assault on the rights and entitlements of children and young people with SEND
Ali Fiddy, CEO, IPSEA
July 15, 2022
Quince back on board with SEND as the Education Committee sends a shot across the bows
Catriona Moore
July 13, 2022
Without detailed plans for its planned “Inclusion Dashboards”, the DfE is navigating towards an Inclusion Illusion
Dr Rob Webster
July 12, 2022
How will the new ‘Universal SEND Services’ programme help for learners with SEND?
Tania Tirraoro
July 8, 2022
Legal action launched against #SENDReview Consultation, over “misleading” disability discrimination Tribunal question
Tania Tirraoro
July 6, 2022
Are new SEND financial accountability measures compatible with lawful SEND provision?
Matt Keer
July 5, 2022
WEBINAR RECORDING: Will Quince MP answers YOUR questions on the #SENDReview Green Paper
Tania Tirraoro
June 29, 2022
SNJ in Conversation podcast: Will Quince in our hot seat discussing the #SENDReview Green Paper
Tania Tirraoro
June 24, 2022
#SENDReview Green Paper second WEBINAR: Ask the Minister, Will Quince. Registration open!
Tania Tirraoro
June 23, 2022
SEND Stats 2022: How has the pandemic affected the numbers of pupils with SEND?
Matt Keer
June 17, 2022
The legal implications of the #SENDReview: WEBINAR RECORDING
Tania Tirraoro
June 16, 2022
And yet another SEND consultation, this time: EHCP Annual review timescales
Tania Tirraoro
June 16, 2022
Ofsted and the CQC reveal plans for new Area SEND Inspections
Tania Tirraoro
June 14, 2022
WEBINAR: #SENDReview Legal Roundtable. What are the legal implications of SEND Green Paper?
Tania Tirraoro
June 10, 2022
The #SENDReview must embed Speech, Language and Communication skills across education, especially teacher training
Special Needs Jungle
June 1, 2022
What’s in the Children’s social care review for disabled children?
Tania Tirraoro
May 24, 2022
Human Rights, The Equality Act and Inclusive Education: The 12 changes the #SENDReview Green Paper needs for a paradigm shift
Richard Rieser
May 20, 2022
What the evidence says about the 13 crucial areas for quality in Alternative Provision
Special Needs Jungle
May 10, 2022
How can the #SENDReview implement new changes while avoiding the same mistakes of the last reforms?
Matt Keer
May 5, 2022
#SENDReview: A vision for Alternative Provision, but where’s the evidence?
Special Needs Jungle
May 4, 2022
#SENDReview: Downgrading SENCO training is a mistake but protected time must be mandatory
Tania Tirraoro
April 26, 2022
#SENDReview: What is excellent SEND provision from early years to adulthood?
Tania Tirraoro
April 22, 2022
Déjà vu: How will the #SENDReview end the over-promising and under-delivering cycle of support for disabled children?
Susan Lenihan
April 20, 2022
#SENDReview: Why mandatory mediation in SEND appeals isn’t wanted–or needed
Special Needs Jungle
April 14, 2022
#SENDReview Chapter 2 under the microscope: National standards, EHCP changes, and limiting choice
Catriona Moore
April 12, 2022
What does the #SENDReview Green Paper say about funding the future of SEND?
Matt Keer
April 8, 2022
Post 16: What’s in the #SENDReview Green paper for 16-25-year-old disabled young people?
Ruth Perry, Senior Policy Manager, Natspec
April 6, 2022
#SENDReview Chapter 5 (part 1): The missing accountability question
Matt Keer
April 4, 2022
#SENDReview: Defining Alternative Provision and… how about an apology?
Tania Tirraoro
April 1, 2022
Publication day: Your first look at what’s in the SEND Review Green Paper.
Matt Keer
March 29, 2022
Schools White Paper: what are the implications for SEND?
Tania Tirraoro
March 28, 2022
“Impowering” the future of SEND where parents and SENCOs just need to be less “demanding”
Matt Keer
March 15, 2022
LAs: SEND failings are everyone’s fault but ours and it’s too easy to get an EHCP
Tania Tirraoro
March 11, 2022
We don’t need ”fundamental SEND reform”. Just sharpen the teeth of the legal system we already have.
Catriona Moore
March 10, 2022
PRE-SEND REVIEW Webinar with Will Quince MP
Renata Blower
March 7, 2022
Brian Lamb: Will the SEND Review Green Paper deliver lasting improvements for disabled children and families?
Prof. Brian Lamb OBE
March 1, 2022
£93 million more in SEND funding for respite, supported internships and making LAs do what they’re supposed to
Tania Tirraoro
February 2, 2022
Launching the SNJ Intersectionality Panel focusing on disability, race, and cultural discrimination in SEND
Special Needs Jungle
January 28, 2022
SEND Review: Fait accompli or a real chance for parents and practitioners to shape policy?
Special Needs Jungle
January 17, 2022
Disability, the Equality Act and the SEND Review
Richard Rieser
January 11, 2022
Why the SEND Review MUST extend EHCPs to disabled students in higher education
Tania Tirraoro
January 6, 2022
Councils wasted £253 million fighting parents at the SEND Tribunal since 2014 reforms
Matt Keer
December 10, 2021
How will the SEND Review create sustainable support that’s also value for money?
Chris Rossiter
November 19, 2021
The Let us Learn Too petition is misleading, DfE? Really?
Special Needs Jungle
October 18, 2021
Mr Zahawi: Publish the SEND Review—but make sure it solves the RIGHT problem
Catriona Moore
September 17, 2021
Dear Boris, you must act now to help disabled children #LetUsLearnToo
Tania Tirraoro
September 8, 2021
Dame Christine: I’d like to set the record straight
Special Needs Jungle
July 21, 2021
Public Accounts Committee Inquiry report adds pressure to #fixSEND. SEND Review MUST NOT delay further
Matt Keer
May 6, 2020
SEND Review: A game-changer or playing politics with vulnerable children?
Catriona Moore
September 9, 2019

The new SEND Minister, David Johnston, has denied the Government is working towards cuts of 20% in EHCPs for local authorities on its “Delivering Better Value” (DBV) programme, as we…
Continue reading »DBV Part 2: 20% EHCP cuts? After repeated denials, the Department for Education‘s got some explaining to do…

by Matt Keer and Tania Tirraoro Matt writes: On Friday, we took a look at the Department for Education’s Delivering Better Value in SEND financial intervention programme. Fifty-five of England’s…
Continue reading »Miracles and magic: Delivering Better Value in SEND. But better value for whom?

The world of SEND is swamped with consultants and cost-saving schemes at the moment, and even more are being planned. We’ve looked at some of these already. Today, it’s the…
Continue reading »A new SEND minister NOW? Disabled children deserve better than to be a government testing ground for ambitious MPs

It’s not even the start of the school year and I’m already furious. Why, you ask? Apart from the fact that the Department for Education is moving forward apace with…
Continue reading »We must keep pushing for more autism education says charity leader, amid growing anger and confusion over Government SEND plans

with Jolanta Lasota, CEO, Ambitious About Autism There is an information vacuum from the Department for Education about what’s going on with its SEND Improvement Plan. And, as nature abhors…
Continue reading »Research: Meeting the SEND needs of disabled children early delivers £380k return per learner and dividends for society

With Claire Dorer OBE, CEO of the National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools (NASS) A new research report into the value of disabled children receiving prompt and…
Continue reading »Is the Government rationing EHC plans?

MPs on the House of Commons Education Select Committee invited the Children’s Minister, Claire Coutinho, in for a chat this week about the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan. Members of…
Continue reading »Webinar Recording: “We’re not even testing mandatory mediation” SEND Minister, Claire Coutinho answers your questions

On Tuesday 2nd May, we were joined by Claire Coutinho, Education Minister with responsibility for SEND to discuss the SEND Improvement Plan. Many of you sent in questions before the…
Continue reading »How will the Government’s new NPQ SENCO qualification improve SEND provision?

A school’s commitment to inclusion can easily be measured in three core ways: whether the SENCO is given the time and team to advocate for its children with identified needs;…
Continue reading »SNJ WEBINAR: SEND Minister Claire Coutinho discusses the SEND Improvement Plan. Register now!

We have another fabulous webinar lined up for you — with Education Minister, Claire Coutinho, who has responsibility for SEND. Claire Coutinho, MP for East Surrey, joined the Department for…
Continue reading »Better co-production is crucial for improving SEND provision. But are the Government’s plans a case of magical thinking?

‘Critically, we agree with what we heard during the consultation: that the national system should be co-produced with families, children and young people, so we can build their confidence that…
Continue reading »How does the Government intend to fund its new SEND Improvement plan?

Over the last few weeks, we’ve covered some of the main features of the Department for Education’s (DfE) SEND & Alternative Provision Improvement Plan: what it means for accountability, what…
Continue reading »WEBINAR RECORDING: Will the SEND Improvement Plan fix provision for disabled children and young people?

On March 15 2023, Special Needs Jungle held a webinar exploring the Department for Education's long-awaited SEND Improvement Plan, something it describes as a "Transformation in SEND" Is it though?…
Continue reading »Will non-statutory National Standards improve SEND or just create confusion and more unlawful behaviour?

TONIGHT! LIVE WEBINAR: Will the Government’s “SEND Improvement Plan” fix SEND? Register here! The SEND Improvement Plan published by the Government on 2nd March was described in an excited press…
Continue reading »How does the the SEND Improvement Plan intend to create more accountability?

On 2nd March, the Department for Education finally published its plan to improve the SEND and alternative provision system. Over the next few weeks, SNJ will be looking at different…
Continue reading »The Government’s SEND Improvement Plan: an initial overview

also with Matt Keer and Catriona Moore “It is time to deliver a more dignified experience for children and young people with SEND and to restore families’ confidence in the…
Continue reading »New SENCO research questions the SEND Review’s “irresponsible” plans to downgrade the NASENCO award

with Dr Graeme Dobson, University of Birmingham We are anticipating the publication of the Department for Education very shortly. One of the major proposals was upskilling the SEND workforce, something…
Continue reading »A response to our letter to Ministers about the SEND Review

Before Christmas, we wrote to the Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan to outline our concerns about the direction of the SEND Review and its subsequent consultation, especially in light of last…
Continue reading »Why the DfE’s SEND Adviser,, Tony McArdle, is wrong, wrong, wrong: Matt’s Director’s Cut

Earlier this week Schools Week ran an article from us responding to their earlier interview about the SEND system with Tony McArdle, a Department for Education SEND adviser. His wasn’t…
Continue reading »Don’t make it harder to get EHCPs warns Equality and Human Rights Commission as DfE considers “raising the bar”

As education ministers review the upcoming “SEND Improvement Plan” it’s to be hoped they have found time to read this week’s Children’s Rights in Britain report from the Equality and…
Continue reading »Join our call for Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, to PAUSE further SEND reform plans and PUBLISH the SEND Review responses now!

Christmas is upon us, but we have one more act for this year before we finish. We have decided to write a post directed at Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State…
Continue reading »A failure of Children and Families Act implementation does not mean rip it up and start again m’luds

The Children and Families Act 2014 – a wide-ranging piece of legislation that includes the legal framework for supporting children and young people with SEND – has failed a generation…
Continue reading »Parents call on SEND Minister to invest in deaf children missing vital support in schools

with Juliet, the mum of a profoundly deaf child I've got two deaf children. They've left the SEND system now, having seen the absolute best and the toxic, gamma-spitting worst…
Continue reading »School staff need a pay rise, but when LAs don’t pass on government funding, it’s SEND pupils who suffer most

Everyone’s feeling the cost of living crisis right now – and the world of SEND hasn’t been spared. Most children and young people with SEND are educated in schools. In…
Continue reading »Ofsted: New area SEND inspection framework can be a “catalyst for change”

with Kathryn Rudd, Ofsted Senior HMI for SEND As time has gone on Ofsted and CQC’s SEND area inspections have provided an important, though flawed, accountability route for the 2014…
Continue reading »With no ministerial oversight for months, has the SEND Review lost legitimacy? Here’s what needs to happen now

Another day, another new SEND Minister – although at the time of writing their identity remains a mystery. It’s become almost routine, this government’s casual lack of regard for the…
Continue reading »Could the SEND Review’s “big ideas” wither on the vine of political uncertainty?

Two Secretaries of State ago, back in the politically distant days of July, the House of Commons Education Select Committee wrote to the then Education Secretary, James Cleverly MP, about…
Continue reading »Is NHS England breaking a promise to roll out eye care for disabled children in all special schools?

with Aylee Richmond, National Eye Care Information Officer, SeeAbility A few years ago I woke up with vision loss in one of my eyes. It was frightening, but I was…
Continue reading »New SEND Minister, Kelly Tolhurst: many responsibilities but none so important as disabled children’s futures

We’d begun to get a little paranoid at Special Needs Jungle that maybe no one really wanted children and young people with SEND. Three weeks have passed since a new…
Continue reading »SNJ’s response to the EHCP Annual Review Timescales consultation

The Department for Education consultation on EHCP Timescales closed last month. We put in our own response, and we’re publishing it today. It contains not only our answers to the…
Continue reading »Special Needs Jungle’s #SENDReview Consultation response

A short post to share with you the SNJ SEND Review Green paper consultation response. It was quite a mammoth effort, weaving all the views we have published here over…
Continue reading »#SENDReview: National standards plans are an assault on the rights and entitlements of children and young people with SEND

One of the main, and most worrying, proposals in the SEND Green Paper is the introduction of National Standards. Some in the SEND sector are in favour of National Standards…
Continue reading »Quince back on board with SEND as the Education Committee sends a shot across the bows

It's finally been confirmed that Will Quince MP will continue to have political responsibility for SEND, and the SEND Review, following last week’s ministerial resignation/reshuffle that saw him promoted to…
Continue reading »Without detailed plans for its planned “Inclusion Dashboards”, the DfE is navigating towards an Inclusion Illusion

I don’t mean to show off, but my car has a very fancy dashboard. As well as the standard features – speedometer, odometer, petrol gauge – it can, with a…
Continue reading »How will the new ‘Universal SEND Services’ programme help for learners with SEND?

with Amanda Wright, Deputy Head of Whole School SEND Earlier this year, The Department for Education announced a funding service to improve SEND training in school and further education workforce,…
Continue reading »Legal action launched against #SENDReview Consultation, over “misleading” disability discrimination Tribunal question

It’s all happening isn’t it? As Nadhim Zahawi scarpers to No11 (don’t let the door to Sanctuary Buildings hit you on the way out, love), the new (probably temporary) appointee,…
Continue reading »Are new SEND financial accountability measures compatible with lawful SEND provision?

Accountability. Ask most SEND parents, and that’s what they’ll tell you is missing from the current system. Most of the questions that parents put to Minister Will Quince at last week’s…
Continue reading »WEBINAR RECORDING: Will Quince MP answers YOUR questions on the #SENDReview Green Paper

If you missed, or indeed want to rewatch, our joint webinar with Children and Families Minister Will Quince on the SEND Review Green Paper we've now uploaded it. We'll also…
Continue reading »SNJ in Conversation podcast: Will Quince in our hot seat discussing the #SENDReview Green Paper

Yesterday, Renata and I sat down virtually with Will Quince MP, Minister for Children and Families for an episode of our video/podcast, SNJ in Conversation. As you know there is…
Continue reading »#SENDReview Green Paper second WEBINAR: Ask the Minister, Will Quince. Registration open!

Many of you will have attended or watched our first webinar with Children and Families Minister, Will Quince MP in March, produced jointly with NNPCF, Family Fund and Contact. Since…
Continue reading »SEND Stats 2022: How has the pandemic affected the numbers of pupils with SEND?

It’s the middle of June, and that means the Department for Education (DfE) has just published its annual set of statistics on special educational needs in England. You can find…
Continue reading »The legal implications of the #SENDReview: WEBINAR RECORDING

If you didn't manage to get to our webinar about the legal implications of the SEND Review Green Paper, fear not! We've uploaded the recording to our YouTube channel and…
Continue reading »And yet another SEND consultation, this time: EHCP Annual review timescales

Consultations are, it seems, like buses. You wait two years for one, then three come along at once. Or, in the case of this new consultation about EHCP annual reviews,…
Continue reading »Ofsted and the CQC reveal plans for new Area SEND Inspections

**Watch a webinar on the consultation from Ofsted** Every local authority and health body in England has now had its SEND provision inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. A…
Continue reading »WEBINAR: #SENDReview Legal Roundtable. What are the legal implications of SEND Green Paper?

We've been debating all the merits and otherwise of the SEND Review Green Paper for some time now. But what are the legal implications? We know that some of the…
Continue reading »The #SENDReview must embed Speech, Language and Communication skills across education, especially teacher training

with Amy Loxley, Lead Speech and Language Advisor for I CAN, One of the major criticisms of the SEND Review is its silence about the revolution in SEND teacher training…
Continue reading »What’s in the Children’s social care review for disabled children?

Children who are looked after by the state (CLA) are undeniably among the most vulnerable in the country, and those who are both looked after and have SEND (a large…
Continue reading »Human Rights, The Equality Act and Inclusive Education: The 12 changes the #SENDReview Green Paper needs for a paradigm shift

Richard Rieser is a disability campaigner and expert in inclusion. This article is his view of how the Green Paper interplays with equality, human rights and inclusive education The SEND…
Continue reading »What the evidence says about the 13 crucial areas for quality in Alternative Provision

with Dennis Simms, IntegratED Hub Lead The SEND Review Green Paper places great emphasis on including alternative provision within a "single system" with mainstream and special schools. The DfE want…
Continue reading »How can the #SENDReview implement new changes while avoiding the same mistakes of the last reforms?

Let’s kick off with some Green Paper quotes: “Disabled children and children with SEN tell us that they can feel frustrated by a lack of the right help at school…
Continue reading »#SENDReview: A vision for Alternative Provision, but where’s the evidence?

by Susie Lenihan, Renata Blower & Tania Tirraoro Chapter 4 of the SEND Review Green paper is focused on reforming the way alternative provision is used and integrating it within…
Continue reading »#SENDReview: Downgrading SENCO training is a mistake but protected time must be mandatory

with Tristan Middleton, University of Gloucestershire & chair, LLSCIC. Under the SEND Code of Practice, SENCOs must be gain a Masters-level NASENCO award within three years of taking the role.…
Continue reading »#SENDReview: What is excellent SEND provision from early years to adulthood?

So what’s in chapter 3? From the title, you can assume it’s about provision – specifically SEND provision one would imagine. I’ve broken them down into sections, including specifically for each…
Continue reading »Déjà vu: How will the #SENDReview end the over-promising and under-delivering cycle of support for disabled children?

As you have seen, SNJ are unpicking the detail and supporting parents to have a voice throughout the SEND Review Green Paper consultation. Much is laudable in the SEND review,…
Continue reading »#SENDReview: Why mandatory mediation in SEND appeals isn’t wanted–or needed

with Margaret Doyle, author, accredited SEND mediator One of the proposals in the SEND Review Green Paper is for compulsory mediation before parents can register an appeal at the SEND…
Continue reading »#SENDReview Chapter 2 under the microscope: National standards, EHCP changes, and limiting choice

As we continue our analysis of the SEND Green Paper, today we're looking at Chapter two, which includes consultation questions 1-7. Remember, a Green Paper is a discussion document; these…
Continue reading »What does the #SENDReview Green Paper say about funding the future of SEND?

This post includes an explanation of how SEND funding works in the simplest way possible, before looking at funding in Chapter 5 of the Green Paper. If you're an expert…
Continue reading »Post 16: What’s in the #SENDReview Green paper for 16-25-year-old disabled young people?

About SNJ’s SEND review coverage: SNJ is bringing you lots of information and analysis about the SEND Green Paper. We are also interested to hear the responses of other organisations…
Continue reading »#SENDReview Chapter 5 (part 1): The missing accountability question

In this article, we'll be looking at the first part of Chapter 5, dealing with Consultation Questions No. 17 & also the catch-all No. 22 The SEND Green Paper is…
Continue reading »#SENDReview: Defining Alternative Provision and… how about an apology?

As we all know by now, the SEND Review was published on Tuesday 29th March 2022. The consultation runs for 13 weeks and 4 days, closing on July 1stThere is a dedicated…
Continue reading »Publication day: Your first look at what’s in the SEND Review Green Paper.

Updates Summary of the SEND review: right support, right place, right time Dedicated SEND Review website Open consultation SEND review: right support, right place, right time So finally, after more…
Continue reading »Schools White Paper: what are the implications for SEND?

The Government’s Schools White Paper (herein SWP for short) has just been published, the day before the long-awaited SEND Green Paper will finally arrive. It’s been emphasised that the two must…
Continue reading »“Impowering” the future of SEND where parents and SENCOs just need to be less “demanding”

As the SEND Review Green Paper edges closer - maybe within a week - we decided to look into something that lots of parents have been talking about, not least…
Continue reading »LAs: SEND failings are everyone’s fault but ours and it’s too easy to get an EHCP

with comment from Matt Keer and Ali Fiddy Reports about SEND come and go. Some barely make a mark, some confirm what families already know. But today, the Local Government Association…
Continue reading »We don’t need ”fundamental SEND reform”. Just sharpen the teeth of the legal system we already have.

Getting the Children’s Minister’s attention at a webinar this week attended by 200 parents of children with SEND was an excellent opportunity to give him an unmediated insight into our…
Continue reading »PRE-SEND REVIEW Webinar with Will Quince MP

Yesterday Special Needs Jungle facilitated a webinar with the SEND Minister, Will Quince MP, ahead of the publication of the SEND Review. We joined with the NNPCF, Contact, and Family…
Continue reading »Brian Lamb: Will the SEND Review Green Paper deliver lasting improvements for disabled children and families?

SNJ note: Prof. Brian Lamb OBE's Lamb Inquiry in 2009 sparked the last SEND Reforms Green Paper. We're delighted he's here on SNJ to give his thoughts on what's gone…
Continue reading »£93 million more in SEND funding for respite, supported internships and making LAs do what they’re supposed to

We seem to have a tale of two governments at the moment or perhaps we are flipping between parallel universes. In one, the government is in a chaotic, cannibalistic mess…
Continue reading »Launching the SNJ Intersectionality Panel focusing on disability, race, and cultural discrimination in SEND

With Marguerite Haye and Mala Thapar, Leads for the SNJ Intersectionality Panel *If this is not an issue that affects you personally, please still share this post on social media…
Continue reading »SEND Review: Fait accompli or a real chance for parents and practitioners to shape policy?

with Christopher Robertson, independent academic and author, policy analyst and adviser The SEND Review is promised before Easter with a full consultation. But does this mean that everything in the…
Continue reading »Disability, the Equality Act and the SEND Review

Disability campaigner Richard Rieser of World of Inclusion discusses the vital importance for the SEND Review to frame itself around disability in the Equality Act On the face of it, the…
Continue reading »Why the SEND Review MUST extend EHCPs to disabled students in higher education

We’ve been calling for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) to cover all young disabled people in education up to the age of 25 since before the 2014 reforms. So…
Continue reading »Councils wasted £253 million fighting parents at the SEND Tribunal since 2014 reforms

Somehow, it’s already early December. That means it’s time for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service to release their set of annual figures about the work of the Special Educational…
Continue reading »How will the SEND Review create sustainable support that’s also value for money?

SNJ intro: Do you remember the SEND Futures Feasibility study? It was supposed to work out value for money for SEND but not a lot has come out of it…
Continue reading »The Let us Learn Too petition is misleading, DfE? Really?

The Department for Education has claimed that the Let Us Learn Too petition SNJ and SCA are involved with and support is "misleading" The campaign has been driven by SCA…
Continue reading »Mr Zahawi: Publish the SEND Review—but make sure it solves the RIGHT problem

A government reshuffle: it’s as good as anything else for a temporary distraction. There’s always the hope it might result in a minister who really knows and cares about the…
Continue reading »Dear Boris, you must act now to help disabled children #LetUsLearnToo

On Monday, we ran an article coinciding with the launch of the #LetUsLearnToo video. The campaign is urging the SEND Review not to erode disabled children's rights as the Department…
Continue reading »Dame Christine: I’d like to set the record straight

With Dame Christine Lenehan, Council for Disabled Children Now and again, someone says or writes something that's so surprising, that's the very opposite of what you'd expect them to say,…
Continue reading »Public Accounts Committee Inquiry report adds pressure to #fixSEND. SEND Review MUST NOT delay further

It seems like a lifetime ago, but for most of last year, you couldn’t move for official inquiries into the state of SEND in England. Parliament’s Education Select Committee started…
Continue reading »SEND Review: A game-changer or playing politics with vulnerable children?

While the biggest political and constitutional crisis that anyone can remember rages all around us, ministers resign, MPs are purged and no-one is quite sure who will be in Government…
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