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09
Oct 2024
Ripon MP questions Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions
Sir Julian Smith, the Skipton and Ripon MP, has urged the government to “look carefully” at special educational needs and disabilities funding ahead of this month’s budget.
Concerns over the state of the SEND system have been raised in North Yorkshire, with parents calling for reform and even North Yorkshire Council’s chief executive admitting that the system is “broken”.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Question Time today, Conservative MP Sir Julian called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to factor the issue into the government’s budget plans, which will be revealed on October 30.
He described the budget for SEND in North Yorkshire as being “under huge pressure”.
Sir Julian said:
Could I ask the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, as they prepare for the budget, could they look carefully at how increased funding and changes to the funding formula could make a massive difference to thousands of lives of children across the country?
In response, the Prime Minister said he agreed that parents of children with SEND "are being failed”.
He said:
I am grateful to the honourable member for raising this issue which is of real concern across the country to many parents who are concerned about the provision and I do agree that children with special educational needs and disabilities are being failed with parents struggling to get their children the support that they need and deserve and we have to change that.
And I am determined to raise standards for every child so they succeed in education and we will work with the sector and, across the house where we can, to deliver on that mission which is very important for many parents who will be watching this today.
North Yorkshire SEND in crisis
The Stray Ferret has reported extensively on the SEND crisis in North Yorkshire, including a series on the matter in August. You can read those articles here and here.
Last November, North Yorkshire Council revealed that it already has a £13m annual deficit for SEND places, and that it faces an annual “black hole” of up to £100 million within four years due to spiralling demand for SEND support services.
Demand has rocketed for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) – legal documents that set out the tailored support a child needs – and there is a growing backlog of cases waiting to be assessed.
The extent of the crisis is such that Richard Flinton, chief executive of the council, told the Stray Ferret last month that he felt the system was “broken”.
He added that the government should carry out a “root and branch review” into the matter as it was putting pressure on council services.
In September, the Stray Ferret revealed that the council was set to nearly double the number of educational psychologists (EPs) it employs, in a bid to slash the backlog of children waiting to be assessed for places in specialist schools.
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