Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson was speaking after it was revealed that schools in Darlington have reached capacity in terms of their local provision for SEND pupils.
Speaking during a visit to OnPath Energy in West Rainton, Sunderland, on Friday (January 10), Ms Phillipson admitted that the government must do more for children requiring SEND support.
Assessment requests for the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system increased by 13.5 per cent in December 2023 compared to the same period in December 2022.
Ms Phillipson (Image: ONPATH ENERGY) This means that all provision in Darlington is in use following an increase of pupils with SEND, particularly those with education, health, and care plans (EHCP).
When asked about the demand for SEND Darlington, Ms Phillipson said that work to deliver a better system is underway, and will continue in the coming months.
She told The Northern Echo: “We all know that the SEND system isn’t working for children and young people. Increasingly, parents have lost confidence and the outcomes of young people with SEND is just not good enough.
“We are determined to reform the system to put more support in place earlier on. In the budget, we invested an extra £1bn into SEND alongside extra capital investment to create more specialist provision within mainstream schools.
“But, we know that there is a lot more as a government that we need to do to get this right.
“In the months to come, we’ll be listening and working very carefully with parents, stakeholders, councils and others to deliver a better system that gives all our young people a chance to achieve and thrive.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. Ms Phillipson was also challenged on child poverty – following news that more than a quarter of children in County Durham are eligible for free school meals.
Council data this week revealed that 23,200 (31.9 per cent) pupils were eligible in spring 2024, up from 17,200 (23.9 per cent) in spring 2020.
The percentage of children also living in relative poverty (aged 0-19) 2022/23 in County Durham is 19.3 per cent compared to 20.5 per cent in the North East and 19.5 per cent in England.
The Education Secretary said: “Child poverty is a scar in the life chances of far too many in our communities – particularly in the North East where families are experiencing really big challenges at the moment.
“This is why it is a privilege to co-chair the Child Poverty Taskforce with the work and pensions Secretary so we can bring down the number of children growing up in poverty.
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“Just this week in parliament, we had the second reading of our Children’s Wellbeing in Schools Bill and one of the measures within that bill is rolling out universal free breakfast clubs in all primary schools.
“That will make a big difference to children at the start of their school day and help families by putting more money back in their pockets.
“This is alongside caps on the numbers of branded items of uniform schools insist on so children can go to school looking smart but doesn’t cost parents the earth.”