SEND Provision: Hampshire

Debate between Chris Bloore and Luke Murphy

Thursday 31st October 2024 Westminster Hall

[Luke Murphy (Basingstoke) (Lab)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered SEND provision in Hampshire.

It is a pleasure to lead my first Westminster Hall debate under your chairship, Sir Mark, particularly on this important topic. I begin by recognising the parents, advocates and campaigners who have brought the issue into the public eye, especially the Kids nursery parent committee from Basingstoke, who are here today in the Public Gallery. Their dedication to advocating for inclusion and calling for urgent reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system is inspiring, and their personal stories highlight the real impact of this crisis on children, young people and their families.

When I first stood as Labour’s candidate for Basingstoke, I knew that SEND support faced challenges, but it was not until I met families across Basingstoke that I truly understood the depth of the crisis. I spoke to two mothers on the campaign, who live just two doors apart, yet both said they felt alone in their struggles with an adversarial and confusing system. They had no idea that their situations were nearly identical. Both were battling to secure essential support for their children, believing that they were alone in that fight. A mother in my constituency, Michelle, perfectly summarised the struggle. She told me:

“Raising children with SEND is incredibly challenging, exhausting and stressful. There isn’t enough support for parents to cope. We face constant appointments, endless form-filling, and have to fight for the education our kids deserve. It shouldn’t be this hard, and it doesn’t need to be this hard.”

No family should be placed in Michelle’s position, having to fight tooth and nail for a fair, inclusive education for their children.

Just last week, the National Audit Office issued a report described by the Minister for School Standards as a “damning indictment” of the SEND system. The report highlighted that the system is not only financially unsustainable, but is failing to deliver the necessary outcomes for children. It is a broken system—a crisis we inherited, after 14 years of inaction. It is heartening to know, looking around this room, that the sentiment is shared across party lines. The last Conservative Education Secretary labelled the system she left behind as “lose, lose, lose” while current Tory shadow Ministers say that they did not do enough on SEND and should hang their heads in shame. We agree.

The NAO report underscores the reality that families and councils live with every day. The demand for SEND support has surged. Education, health and care plans have increased by 140% since 2014, with more than 576,000 individuals now needing that support. Local authorities are also struggling under a £4.6 billion deficit as high-needs funding, even at £10.7 billion, fails to meet demand. Tribunal appeals have risen by 334%, which is testament to a system where families must fight for basic rights rather than being supported to achieve them.

One parent shared her story with me recently. After waiting two and a half years following an initial needs assessment, her daughter finally secured a placement in a specialist school, but it is a 70-minute round trip for only two hours of schooling each day. That family’s experience reflects a system that feels combative rather than supportive—where councils, as this mum pointed out, spend public funds on solicitors and barristers to deny or delay access to services that children are legally entitled to.

The impact of the crisis on families is stark. Nationally, only 50% of EHC plans met the statutory 20-week timeline in 2023—down from 60% in previous years. That failure to meet deadlines has left parents understandably losing faith in the system. It is little wonder that parents who have children with SEND are significantly more likely to consider home schooling than parents who have children without SEND—a sad consequence of a system that is failing them.

[Chris Bloore (Redditch) (Lab)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate, and thank you, Sir Mark, for your chairmanship. I also thank the parents that my hon. Friend has brought along in support. I have the same situation in my constituency of Redditch in Worcestershire, and if it was not for the parents dotted around the country who fight for their children or grandchildren, we would not have such energy in the new Parliament to fight for the proper solutions for SEND. My hon. Friend talked about trust and the broken system; does he agree that it is essential, if we are to rebuild a system that is fit for purpose, to rebuild trust between local authorities and parents and grandparents, so that co-production can truly start again?

[Luke Murphy]

I completely agree with my hon. Friend: crucial to fixing the system will be rebuilding trust between parents, national Government and local authorities. There is much work to do, but I think yesterday’s Budget showed that this Government are making a downpayment on that commitment—and there will be more to come. As my hon. Friend mentioned, the lack of adequate support has lasting impacts on families. Many parents have had to reduce their work hours or even leave employment entirely to care for their children when the local authority fails to provide adequate support. I know, from hearing families’ stories, that many are reaching breaking point, and parents are exhausted from the constant battle against the system.

Hampshire county council, like many others, has been coping with a system in freefall. The number of EHC plans in Hampshire has nearly doubled, from just over 8,000 in 2019 to around 16,000 this year. Hampshire’s cumulative deficit for the dedicated schools grant is now at £86.1 million, representing 9.4% of its total dedicated schools grant income. To put that in perspective, for every £100 that Hampshire receives for schools and SEND provision, it has accumulated nearly £9.40 in debt. That deficit is expected to reach £250 million by 2025-26 if nothing changes. Hampshire also currently spends £47.2 million annually on independent school placements, due to the lack of available spaces in state-funded options, underscoring the urgent need for expanded state provision and the need to support mainstream settings in providing essential SEND support.

I am particularly concerned about the exploration of the statutory override in 2026, which currently allows the education deficits to be kept off councils’ balance sheets. When the override ends, councils like Hampshire could face financial insolvency, forcing them to declare a section 114 notice and request Government intervention. The situation is clearly untenable, and serious reforms are urgently needed, but this crisis is not just about budgets or statistics; it is about real lives and families.

Eleanor, a mother in my constituency, told me about her son. When he turned two, she sent him to the local nursery to be with his older sister, but there it quickly became clear that his development was delayed. On multiple occasions, Eleanor would go to pick him up and find him playing alone in the toilets unsupervised. Quite understandably, that is not what she wanted for her son, but without sufficient support from early years education, and because he could not talk, he was left to blend into the background and slip through the cracks. Eleanor describes the process of fighting for SEND provision as “just terrible”—a constant battle with the local authority in a system that she describes as completely broken.

Another parent, Kelly, shared her story with me. After multiple appointments where she raised concerns about her son’s development, she was told that he was simply the “lazy twin”. But Kelly did not give up. She described how, without clear guidance and support, parents go into the SEND system “blindfolded”, feeling their way through a complex maze that should be straightforward. Jodie, another mother from Basingstoke, told me that

“the only support you get consistently through the whole SEND journey is from other parents who are going through the same thing.”

It is a sad reflection of the system when parents find that their only reliable support is each other.

My hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Alex Baker), who wanted to be here today, has heard similar experiences of a lack of suitable school places leaving parents with no option but home schooling for their children. That puts unacceptable pressure on parents, resulting in mental health issues and self-harm, while children miss out on vital opportunities to develop wider life and social skills

A parent in my constituency described the impact of finally receiving specialist provision for her daughter as having a “halo effect”. It brought a sense of normalcy and confidence back to her daughter’s life, sparking interests outside the classroom, but that positive impact should not just be the rare exception; it should be the standard experience for every family navigating the SEND system.

When I committed to a manifesto focused on building a truly inclusive, responsive and supportive education system, it was not just a pledge; it was a mission. Every child deserves an education system that meets their needs, especially those children with special educational needs and disabilities.

I am encouraged by the Government’s actions in taking the first steps towards real change. Yesterday’s Budget marked a significant commitment from the Chancellor, with a £1 billion increase in SEND and alternative provision funding. That is a 6% real-terms boost. The funding is a critical step towards improving outcomes for children and families, and guiding our SEND system towards much-needed financial stability, fixing the foundations to ensure that every child in England can achieve and thrive regardless of their background.

The children’s wellbeing Bill, which was announced in the King’s Speech, will mandate schools to collaborate with local authorities to improve SEND inclusion. That is a foundational step. Our commitment to expand early years support by investing in SEND-specific teacher training and establishing a framework for early intervention, such as the Nuffield early language intervention, is all part of a larger strategy to prevent children as soon as possible from slipping through the cracks. The Government have also said that they will ensure accountability in mainstream settings through bodies like Ofsted to guarantee that every school is equipped to meet the needs of students with SEND. More widely, the Government have committed to recruiting 6,500 new teachers to reduce class sizes, which I hope will also allow for more inclusive classrooms.

This crisis has stretched on for far too long and we must work on a cross-party basis to address it before the situation becomes truly unsalvageable. Every child, regardless of whether they have SEND or not, should have the support in place so that they can thrive in school and beyond.

Today, with the Kids parent committee from Basingstoke and the Minister both present in Westminster Hall, I want to amplify a clear message from families in my constituency: we need greater training and support for mainstream early years staff in SEND, because early intervention is crucial. By equipping early years staff with the skills to recognise and support children with additional needs, we can ensure that children receive timely help, giving both parents and children a solid foundation. I fully support that goal and will work alongside others to make it a reality.

In yesterday’s Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £1.8 billion to expand Government-funded childcare and allocated £69 million to grow the network of family hubs. This funding represents a chance to provide essential support and early intervention for SEND families across the country.

I hope that this debate shines a light on the reality of SEND provision for families, not only in Hampshire but across the country. Today I urge the Minister and colleagues from all parties urgently to support a reformed SEND system that lifts up our young people and their families.

The Government have rightly committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity for all, which must include children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. We know that there is no magic wand that can fix this broken system overnight, but I urge the Minister to collaborate with her colleagues across Government to urgently reform the SEND system, so that we can restore faith in SEND provision, and I am hopeful that this Government will lead the way in creating a system that truly works for every young person, every family and every community. As Michelle put it:

“It shouldn’t be this hard, and it doesn’t need to be this hard.”