SEND Provision London Borough of Barking and Dagenham 2025-07-07

Opened the debate

I have secured this Adjournment debate to discuss the provision of special educational needs and disabilities in Barking and Dagenham, an area I partially represent. Currently, over 5,500 children require SEN support with 3,111 having EHCPs as of January 2025, showing pressure across primary and secondary schools. Since 2022, requests for EHCP assessments have risen by 100%, four times the national average. Population growth since 2014 has added about 26,000 residents, increasing demand. Staff caseloads of 200-300 per staff member are unsustainable. The growing pressures in health and shortages of therapists make it difficult to meet demands. I urge the Department for Education to invest more in inclusive schools. Deprivation levels mean Barking and Dagenham has some of the poorest health outcomes in London, with 46% of children living in poverty. Despite underfunding over 14 years, Barking and Dagenham has one of the highest proportions of additional resourced provision in the country and was recognised for effective practice.

Government Response

Congratulations to Margaret Mullane on securing this debate. Improving the SEND system is a priority for the Government, aiming for all children to feel they belong in mainstream settings and receive the necessary support. The Minister acknowledged that there are challenges in ensuring consistent good practice across every part of the country and stressed the need for improvements. Catherine McKinnell reassured hon. Members about government efforts to streamline processes and ensure better outcomes for children with SEND, highlighting the importance of collaboration between all stakeholders involved in the system. We are investing in the capital estate and supporting mainstream schools to expand. Local authorities have funding to work with their local schools to increase capacity. We will build additional schools where necessary. The Government's longer-term approach to SEND reform will be set out in the autumn’s schools White Paper, building on our robust evidence base and creating an expert advisory group for inclusion led by Tom Rees. We are introducing new regional RISE advisers to work with mainstream schools to ensure inclusivity. We are extending PINS partnerships for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools to build teacher capacity in identifying and meeting the needs of neurodivergent children in mainstream settings. Early intervention is prioritised to prevent unmet needs from escalating, ensuring all children achieve their goals alongside their peers. The number of EHCPs has increased since 2014, with over 630,000 children having an EHCP as of January 2025. We aim to progress EHC need assessments promptly and issue plans quickly to provide support for positive outcomes. Independently commissioned insights show that improvements through early intervention and better resourcing of mainstream schools can significantly impact the system. We are funding ELSEC, a new programme trialling ways to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in their early years and at primary school. Additionally, we have introduced a speech and language degree apprenticeship which offers an alternative pathway into becoming a speech and language therapist. Local authorities need support with educational psychology services; over £21 million is invested to train 400 more educational psychologists, contributing to statutory assessments. We are investing £740 million for the 2025-26 year to expand the estate in mainstream and special schools. The Department’s spending review confirms funding for reform of the SEND system; details will be set out in the autumn's White Paper. Local authorities will receive support during the transition to a reformed SEND system, with phased transitions and an extension to the dedicated schools grant statutory override up until 2027-28. We aim to provide more details on this by the end of the year.