(UK) 20% of kids have special needs; $15B cost/year, $2B-$4B more by 2028

July 31, 2025, Huff Post: 'We Must Do Better': Taskforce To Help SEND Children Launches In UK

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will be the focus of a new taskforce which hopes to improve provision in schools. 

The latest development comes after the government announced an overhaul of special needs education for children – which has been met with fear and anger from some parents and campaigners.

One particular concern is that education, health and care plans (EHCPs) – a legally-binding document outlining the needs of a child and what support is required to meet those needs – could be restricted to specialist schools or scrapped completely. 

The process of obtaining an EHCP is not simple – and involves local authorities, health and social care teams, and education settings working together. Many parents also have to fight hard to get this level of support for their children.

As of January 2025, almost 640,000 children were relying on these plans for individual support – up by 10.8% in the last year – but as demand for them has risen, schools and councils have struggled to keep up.

The expense has also risen. Central government funding for high needs currently totals nearly £11 billion [$15B], with forecasts suggesting annual spending will rise by at least £2-3 billion [$2.7-$4B] between now and 2028, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Dame Christine Lenehan, former director of the Council for Disabled Children who is advising ministers on SEND reform, has described EHCPs as a “document that unlocks the system and promises to deliver what children need, but still often doesn’t”.

When asked if she would rule out getting rid of EHCPs earlier this month, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said it is a “complex and sensitive area”.

But Dr Helena Bunn, of the British Psychological Society, has warned restricting access to these plans “would have devastating and far-reaching consequences for thousands of children”.

A Department for Education spokesperson previously told the BBC “there are no plans to abolish SEND tribunals, or to remove funding or support from children, families and schools”.

What will the new taskforce be doing?

IPPR is an independent charity which helps to shape national conversations and policy change.

Its new Inclusion Taskforce, chaired by Geoff Barton, the former general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, will examine the current state of SEND provision and set out principles that should guide reform of the system. 

Experts in education, health and local government will come together to set out the new vision with proposals for how the system can be reformed.

A government White Paper is expected in autumn that will set out SEND reform proposals, which will impact the one in five children who are receiving support for special educational needs in classrooms.

Critics of the current system say it is “lose, lose, lose” for children, families and professionals, according to the IPPR, as children with SEND continue to have poor outcomes (we know, for example, these children are one of the most disadvantaged groups in education, and are far less likely to meet expected learning standards than their peers at Key Stage 1), the system is adversarial for families, and it’s also impractical and bureaucratic for professionals to navigate. . . .