(UK) MPs call for scaling back ADHD referrals; reforming 'broken' system
- The end of childhood
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Sept 17, 2025, Daily Mail: MPs call for stop to soaring special needs referrals in 'broken' system amid ADHD riseÂ
MPs have called for costly special needs referrals to be scaled back and replaced by in-school help amid a funding crisis fuelled partly by the rise of ADHD.
The Commons Education Select Committee called for reform of the ‘broken’ special needs system, which is causing long waiting lists and financially crippling councils.
 ‘This will also help stabilise the sector financially.’
The committee said many pupils with lower-end needs are not able to access help at school because of a lack of resources.
It means their problems are left to get worse, and desperate parents then apply for EHCPs, which were originally set up for those with the most acute needs such as blindness.
This means waiting lists for EHCPs get longer, with the current rise ‘unsustainable’, the committee said.
Instead, the Government should publish ‘statutory’ requirements for all schools to have the provision to deal with these cases before they are escalated, the report said.
This includes specifying the ‘minimum resources, specialist expertise and equipment’ every school should have.
Teachers should also get better training on dealing with special needs, it added.
And the support should be provided ‘before or without the need for an official diagnosis’, it said.
The report added: ‘Identifying needs early in a child’s education will enable support to be provided in the mainstream.
‘The Government must therefore invest in the skills of all current and future school staff, making SEND the responsibility of the whole school.
‘This cultural shift would then calm the rising need for complex, EHCPs in the long-term, and help put schools and local authorities’ finances on a sustainable footing.’
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'This report highlights the deep-rooted issues which have plagued the SEND system for too long.
'I am continuing to listen closely to families, teachers and experts, as we put together plans to transform outcomes for every child with SEND, building on the work we have already started.
'The report rightly highlights the need for actions we’re already taking, to make sure that evidence-based support is available as routine, without a fight, for every child who needs it – from significant investment in places for children with SEND, to improved teacher training, to our Best Start Family Hubs in every local area.'
