Political Opinion: David Taylor MP welcomes Labour’s announcement to put families at heart of SEND reforms

Families and the sector will be able to share their views on expert proposals for SEND reform through more than 100,000 opportunities to join the conversation, both online and in-person – as part of Labour’s commitment to making sure parents play a central role in helping shape the future Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system.

David Taylor MP welcomed this announcement, following his commitment to delivering reforms on SEND for Hemel since being elected: "Lacking support for children with special educational needs and disabilities is a core issue for constituents and has been one of my key focuses over the past year and a half. Through engaging with parents’ and the sector’s experiences and expertise, this announcement brings us closer to a SEND system that gets families and children the right support from their school and local authority.”

David Taylor MP has continuously raised SEND in speeches and debates in Parliament, worked with the SEND All-Parliamentary Group, joined a cross-party roundtable on SEND reform, and most recently launched a new local Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Consultation to hear directly from parents, carers, and teachers about the challenges of securing the right support, meeting personally with the Education Secretary to discuss ways forward to enable a SEND system that works for Hemel and its communities.

Reflecting key issues that came up in David Taylor’s Hemel SEND Consultation, Labour’s new public engagement campaign will open up the dialogue to give parents, teachers, and the sector a real say – as the people who know the system best.

Across nine face-to-face events, run in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children, and five online events, parents, families and the sector will have the opportunity to share their views on five key themes:

• Early intervention, including earlier in children’s lives when this can have most impact.
• Local provision, so young people can learn at a school close to their home, alongside their peers, as well as the vital role of special provision for complex needs.
• Fairness, so every school has the resources and capability to meet changing needs – stopping parents fighting for support and ensuring clear legal safeguards for children and parents.
• Effective practice, grounded in evidence to ensure excellent long-term outcomes.
• Shared working that means education, health and care services working in partnership with local government, families, teachers, experts and representative bodies.

As Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould, said: “We’re committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity for children with SEND, which is why we’re putting lived experience at the heart of our reforms and creating a direct line to parents across the nation.”

This latest announcement follows Labour’s significant investments in SEND reforms since entering government. After inheriting a SEND system from the Conservatives where barely half of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) – the current mechanism that parents seek support from – are issued within the 20 week deadline, Labour is delivering a whole-system approach: investing an extra £1 billion into high-needs SEND support, £740 million to create more specialist places in mainstream schools, and £69 billion allocated for council budgets across England in 25/26 – as a 6.8% cash-terms increase on this year – paving the way for significant, long-term change.

David Taylor MP will continue to champion SEND reforms for constituents in Hemel, bringing findings from his SEND Consultation personally to the Education Secretary in due course. To get involved with Labour’s new public engagement campaign:

• Sign up to attend a regional engagement event here.
• Sign up to attend an online event here.