King’s Speech

Baroness Browning Excerpts

Tuesday 19th May 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Browning (Con)]

My Lords, we have heard three wonderful maiden speeches, each distinct in its own way. I can see clearly that each of our contributors today will make an important contribution to our future debates, and I congratulate them all.

I will focus on the proposed SEND changes in the forthcoming education Bill. Perhaps the House will be surprised that I do not intend, for once, to single out autism, because I hope to cover this in more detail on 10 June, when we debate the Select Committee report on the Autism Act 2009. My noble friend Lord Touhig flagged up many issues of concern in the legislation as far as autism is concerned. That SEND needs to be reformed is not disputed but, following the Government’s consultation, we are short on the detail. This has raised concern, particularly from charities, parents and professionals. So today I will ask questions that I expect to be raised during the course of the Bill and that I hope will give the Minister an opportunity to do a bit of prep before the Second Reading begins.

If children are no longer to have education and care plans—ECPs—how do the Government intend that both education and health will be brought together to provide a whole-person plan? They do not work well together now, except in casework that has reached a crisis. Something needs to be done to make this more mainstreamed for a much wider group of children.

Following on from that, how do the Government plan to deal with long waiting times for assessment involving both health and education? If it is the case that intervention will begin before assessment, does that mean that children will be grouped under umbrella labels, and how will that affect the concept of “No decision about me without me”? It is a good thing to seek to provide more support and services, but will the Bill provide more detail about the number of staff needed, their funding and, most importantly, their training? We are looking at a very wide range of disabilities, with many comorbidities. Without specialist training, this merely provides staffing at best to manage children in the classroom, as opposed to educating them in the broadest sense of the word—academically where you can—to build confidence, speech and language, mobility, and independence, which is so important, as the child develops.

Compared with the present, is it intended that children who are assessed and diagnosed will be treated under umbrella terminology rather than a specific diagnosis, even when that diagnosis has been provided by a clinician? How do the Government view the changes in the Bill impacting when schooling is over? How will they prevent the cliff face between further or higher education and, ultimately, employment, and of course independent living? Will specialist schools currently providing all these post-16 facilities for disabled children be affected? If so, what analysis have the Government made of how they will be affected? Where do the Government see parents’ role in the SEND programme? Will parental rights be diminished? How easy will it be for parents to challenge decision-making?

Disabled children live longer than they did previously and they have higher expectations when they leave school. I hope this Bill will ensure that this improvement continues.