(UK) Education secretary can't promise kids will keep same special ed support

July 7, 2025, Times: Keir Starmer faces fresh Labour revolt over special needs support reforms

Senior figures warn that the plans risk becoming ‘welfare mark two’, as the government insists the changes are not about saving money

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a fresh backbench revolt after ministers refused to guarantee millions of children the legal right to special needs support in school.

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said on Sunday that the government was committed to reforming help for children with learning difficulties or disabilities, which at present costs the taxpayer £12 billion [$16B] a year.

However, she failed to promise that parents would continue to have the same legally enforceable rights to ensure that their children receive bespoke support for their needs either in mainstream or special educational schools.

On Monday Stephen Morgan, the early education minister, said: “We want to make sure that every child gets the support that they need” but would not rule out changes to the present entitlements.

“We absolutely want to make sure that we deliver better support for vulnerable children and their parents and we’re committed to absolutely getting that right,” he told Times Radio.

Senior Labour figures told The Times that the plans risked becoming “welfare mark two”, with dozens of MPs prepared to rebel against what they see as further Treasury-driven cost-cutting measures.

“The government has got to think again now or they’ll be repeating the same mistake they made with welfare reform,” one senior Labour MP said. “We’re all in favour of reforming the system but that cannot be driven by saving money and taking support away from children.”

Another added: “If they thought taking money away from disabled adults was bad, watch what happens when they try the same with disabled kids.”

Under plans being developed by Phillipson, due to be published in the autumn, the government is proposing to fundamentally reform the current special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system in schools.

The move would result in special needs funding being focused on early intervention and improving provision for support in mainstream schools, rather than much more expensive specialist schools.

Ministers have said that the changes are not about saving money but reforming a “failed” system and improving outcomes for all children with special needs. They said they have invested an additional £750 million [$1B] to create specialist facilities for children with Send in mainstream schools and more than £1 billion in budgets for pupils with high needs.

However, as part of the plans, ministers are considering scaling back or restricting the use of so-called education health and care plans (EHCPs).

These plans legally require councils to provide children with a set amount of support to meet their needs. This can include the right to be educated in a special school, the help of a dedicated teaching assistant or paid transportation.