A BARNSLEY MP’s roundtable event for parents whose children have special educational needs will help shape forthcoming reforms on a local level in an attempt to fix the ‘broken’ system.
Dan Jarvis, who represents Barnsley North, said discussions at the meeting focused on the changes parents would like to see in the SEND system, what more the government can do to support families and what an inclusive mainstream school should look like for children who require specialist support.
Feedback will be sent directly to the Department for Education, helping to inform the development of the now-delayed white paper for schools, which will be revealed in early 2026.
Controversies surrounding education, health and care plans (EHCPs), costly out-of-borough placements and the support offered by local authorities were all brought to the DfE’s attention, the Chronicle understands.
Dan said: “The government has recognised that the current SEND system, inherited from the last government, is broken and in urgent need of reform.
“To ensure that the voices of parents and carers with lived experience of the SEND system are heard, I hosted a roundtable discussion for constituents.
“This local event in Barnsley is alongside the national work being led by the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, who has been travelling across the country to meet families and gather their views on how to fix the SEND system.
“I’m really pleased that the SEND event my office hosted was such a success.
“A number of important concerns were raised, including the need for more early help, better training for teachers and a more personalised approach to support.
“We’re determined to fix it our forthcoming white paper will set out the government’s plans to deliver the reform that’s so urgently needed.”
The government has invested an additional £1bn in high needs budgets and provided £740m nationally with £3.8m allocated to Barnsley to adapt classrooms and build specialist facilities for children with SEND, including within mainstream schools.
Ms Phillipson said there would be a ‘further period of co-creation, testing our proposals with the people who matter most in this reform’.
“To help us deliver the most effective set of reforms we can, I have taken the decision to have a further period of co-creation, testing our proposals with the people who matter most in this reform the families alongside teachers and other experts,” she added.
“We will bring forward a full schools white paper early in the new year, underpinned by our belief that high standards and inclusion are two sides of the same coin.
“Through this period of co-creation with parents, educators, experts and representative organisations, we will test policy options being considered and seek views through listening sessions in every region of the country, and fortnightly ministerial meetings with key parent and expert groups.”
