The number of children receiving support for special education needs has set a record high

After years of trying to get support for her son, Karen Quinn is currently in the EHCP process.

Adam is 11 years old and will be going to high school in September. For mum Karen, getting an EHCP before that transition was crucial.

Adam is autistic and has ADHD and dyslexia. Karen says he is very bright, but struggles with writing and emotional control. Now in Year 6, she says he has been suspended from school several times and is struggling.

Trying to get SEND support would “waste what little childhood they have,” she said.

After submitting the EHCP paperwork in February, Karen said the council agreed to review Adam in May, two months later than expected.

“Not huge delays, but every delay affects the transition to high school,” she said.

Karen said the EHCP needed to be delivered by the end of June to meet the 20-week deadline targets, but said it would be in time for high school in September.

“I just want him to get the help he needs to be the best he can be,” she said.

Helen Clack, cabinet member for children, families and lifelong learning at Surrey County Council, said: “Whilst we cannot comment on individual children’s circumstances, EHCP reviews are guided by national legislation and are considered on a case-by-case basis.

We encourage any concerned family to contact us directly so that we can provide clear advice and consider appropriate support.

Under the government’s SEND reform plans, they were. Released in the springFewer children will be eligible for EHCPs from 2030.

Instead, send all children – currently More than 1.8 million children – For EHCPs with more complex needs, you will find individual support plans or ISPs.

Families and campaigners have raised concerns that this “could be avoided”. Legal rights to supportBut the government says this is not the case.

Its consultation on the government’s reform plans closed in May.

New guidelines have been released to create a foundation for inclusion in mainstream schools.

The government says these places provide targeted teaching and support for people with special needs, which it says will stop uneven and flat provision leaving children feeling excluded from the wider school system.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson believes every young person should be able to go to their local school “with their friends” and get a “bright education”.

She said high-quality provision for SEND students was a “postcode lottery”, but the reforms would address that.

According to Jolanta Lasota, chief executive of autism charity Ambitious, the school environment can make or break a young person’s ability to learn, learn and achieve.

But she said the children she spoke to were not sure whether the foundations of inclusion would help them feel supported and included in mainstream school, or another place where they were “segregated, isolated and disenfranchised”.

Matt Woak, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union, criticized the government for giving guidance on inclusion before publishing the “long-awaited consultation for SEND”.

The Prime Minister said the government is “passing the buck to overcrowded schools and overburdened teachers,” adding that they are being asked to adapt without clear expectations of what an inclusive school has to offer.

The DfE says the SEND system is “stretched to breaking point” and the investment will help “train every teacher to better support children with SEND and give schools the knowledge and resources to meet needs earlier”.

Additional report by Rahib Khan