Special educational needs system at “breaking point” – how the church can speak up

On 18 September 2025, the Education Committee published its fifth report entitled Solving the SEND Crisis. This report was published following an inquiry into the SEND system, which was launched in December 2024.

Through interviews and oral and written evidence sessions, the inquiry found the following:

As Christians, we believe that all children are image bearers of God and should be treated with dignity. We recognise the importance of education in allowing them to reach their full potential and flourish. Therefore, we should strive to ensure that all children get an equal opportunity to access quality education, including those with special educational needs. 

This inquiry follows increasing evidence of the gaps in education for SEND students. In 2023, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published an education fact sheet, in which they identified the largest attainment gap in 2018/2019 as between children with SEN (special educational needs) and those without SEN.

“77.4% of children with no identified SEN achieved a good level of development compared with 24.3% of children with SEN, a difference of 52.8 percentage points.”

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Currently those with identified SEND can access two forms of educational support, in the form of either special educational needs (SEN) support or an education, health and care plan (EHC). SEN support includes targeted interventions and individual support such as speech therapists or psychologists. EHC plans are legally enforceable documents issued by local authorities for children who need more support beyond SEN support. SEND pupils are often identified as having autism, speech, language and communication needs or social, emotional and mental health needs. 

Whilst support for students with SEND is available, the reality of this support is inconsistent and is failing students. The number of students with identified special educational needs has been increasing throughout the last decade, and the current system has not been able to cope with or adjust to these increased needs. 

This has led to a lack of trust and confidence in the SEND system from parents and carers. One parent who submitted evidence to the inquiry spoke of how she was ​“forced to withdraw [her son] from education entirely” due to the lack of appropriate support, which has substantially impacted his wellbeing. She also spoke of the ​“appalling” treatment of SEND families, where they are ​“left feeling abandoned, disrespected, and forced to fight every step of the way to secure what their children are legally entitled to”. 

The failing SEND system has widespread impact, and if you yourself are not a parent or carer of a child with SEND, you will most likely know someone in your church or community who is. As the church, we should be looking out for those who have been let down by the SEND system. 

The report concludes that the main theme in SEND education is the way in which the system currently treats SEND students and provision as an addition to the mainstream school system, rather than being embedded within the system. 

The report included 95 recommendations for SEND reform and the Department of Education. We have outlined three recommendations of particular significance to the church and parents. 

1. Inclusivity in education: SEND must no longer be treated as an addition to mainstream education but as an innate part of it. 
2. Practising real inclusivity to lower the number of EHC plans generated, without removing statutory entitlements from EHC plan holders. 
3. Investing in specialist state schools and specialist ​“resource bases” in mainstream schools. 

These recommendations all point to a shift towards making SEND resources and support mainstream and inclusive. A shift to embedding SEND in mainstream schooling should generate fewer EHC plans as more students’ needs will be fulfilled without a plan, putting less strain on the system overall. Yet, a proposed shift away from EHC plans has led to an increasing fear of missing out on enforceable support for children who need it. 

Once the schools white paper is published, the Evangelical Alliance will produce a members’ briefing to outline the government’s approach to SEND and curriculum reform. In the interim, you can contact your MP or local school to share the Education Committee’s report and ask for their position on providing a dignified and well-resourced curriculum for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.