The Education Select Committee recently convened to address the critical challenges surrounding the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) crisis. As part of this process, the NNPCF was invited to participate in an informal roundtable discussion in November, alongside other stakeholders, to inform the enquiry. The November discussion focused on key areas such as SEND support, the inspection framework, and Educational Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
The NNPCF then welcomed the announcement of the “Solving the SEND Crisis” inquiry on 20th December. To ensure our response was grounded in the experiences and views of our members, we launched a comprehensive survey. We were delighted with the level of response with over 200 submissions from Parent Carer Forums across all nine Department for Education (DfE) regions. This was further complemented by local Parent Carer Forums’ (PCF) submissions and case studies that were generously shared with us. This collaborative effort has been vital in shaping our evidence and feedback for the committee.
Like many PCFs and other parent carer organisations, the NNPCF faced challenges due to the timing of the inquiry’s announcement, which coincided with the Christmas period—a particularly demanding time for many families. This was followed by the transition back to education, work, and day provisions in January, where parent carers rightly had to prioritise these responsibilities, which we duly raised with the committee representative. These factors made it even more difficult to engage meaningfully with our members during this crucial period.
While the NNPCF managed to collect valuable input through surveys and direct communications, we would have preferred to facilitate deeper engagement with our PCFs. Nevertheless, we ensured our submission was prepared and submitted as requested by the committee ahead of the oral evidence session on 28th January. That said we appreciated the committee’s decision to extend the deadline from 30th January to 6th February which will allow others additional time to provide their evidence.
Recent reports have highlighted the complexity of the SEND system, including issues such as insufficient funding, high provision costs, tribunal pressures, and rising EHCP demands. However, central to these challenges are our children and young people—many of whom are not receiving the support they need to thrive and transition successfully into adulthood. The strain of navigating a system that often lacks transparency, and accountability is a heavy burden on parents and carers. For this reason, we welcome the committee’s focused attention on these issues.
The committee posed key questions to guide our input. While we aligned with these points, our written submission—grounded in the voices of our membership—addressed a wider range of issues.
As the NNPCF Co-Chair stated within the Session “If we dilute the rules, we don’t dilute the needs. The needs will still exist”.
Read our full submission here:
Find the inquiry details and watch the full video here: 28 January 2025 – Solving the SEND Crisis – Oral evidence – Committees – UK Parliament