Portsmouth MP backs government plans to create thousands of new specialist places for pupils with SEND

Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan has said thousands of pupils are to benefit from a £740 million cash injection from the Labour government to pave the way for more pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to achieve and thrive in mainstream schools.

This new funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, and to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs.

In a statement this week, the Portsmouth MP said the announcement will start to pave the way for Labour’s wide-ranging, long term plans for reform to help more pupils with SEND to have their needs met in mainstream schools.

Read the statement here.

As well as additional funding, the government also announced that Professor Karen Guldberg has also been appointed as Chair of a new “Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group” – a group of experts that will work alongside the Department for Education to drive support for neurodivergent children in mainstream education and increase understanding of inclusion.

Guldberg brings a wealth of experience from her background as the Director of the Autism Centre for Education and Research and Head of the School of Education at the University of Birmingham.

Commenting, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:

“Having spoken with constituents about this issue at length, I know how pleased they will be to see the Labour government taking serious action on the SEND system.

“This approach will break down barriers to opportunity for children with SEND and pave the way for wide-ranging reform informed by experts and families.

“Labour will fix the foundations through our plan for change, that is desperately needed for residents in Portsmouth with experience of the current system.”

Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, said:

“The current picture is stark. For too long, too many children with additional needs haven’t been getting support early enough, with dire consequences when issues escalate.

“But my commitment to reform – making tangible change to the SEND system to improve experiences for children and families – could not be clearer.

“We are determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all children and will work closely with local authorities, schools and families to ensure inclusion is at the heart of learning and that all pupils are getting the support they need to achieve and thrive.”

Last month the National Audit Office highlighted the crisis in the SEND system, with very limited progress having been made in making mainstream schools more inclusive in recent years, harming children’s life chances.

Since leaving government, Conservative Shadow Ministers reflected on the SEND system they left behind with one telling a reception at Conservative Party Conference that his government ‘did not do enough’ on SEND and as a result they should ‘hang [their] heads in shame’.

The previous Conservative Education Secretary had also labelled the system ‘lose, lose, lose.”

The funding announced today forms part of a broader £6.7 billion capital settlement for education for the next financial year, announced at the Autumn Budget, which will be used to deliver this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances while fixing the foundations of the school system.