Our response to

Our response to the Public Accounts Committee’s SEND report

January 15, 2025

There is a SEND emergency which could result in a lost generation of children leaving school without having received the help they need, according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The Committee, which examines government spending to ensure public money is spent effectively, has identified some key areas of concern:

  • Significant increase in demand: The report highlights a 140% increase in demand for Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plans since 2015, with speech and language challenges being one of the most common reasons for seeking support.
  • Postcode lottery: There is significant variation in support available in different regions, with some areas experiencing longer waiting times for assessments. In the UK right now, there are more than 40,000 children waiting over 12 weeks for speech and language therapy alone.
  • Early identification and intervention: The report stresses the importance of early identification and intervention for children with SEND. The report recognises that early identification and intervention can help the child and save public money and resources overall.

Children with speech and language challenges form the biggest group of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Speech and Language UK is happy that the Public Accounts Committee is highlighting the problems with the current system for supporting children with SEND. We provided information to the committee to help them write their report.

You can’t solve the problems in the SEND system without massively increasing support for children struggling with talking and understanding words. We will continue to urge the Government to make sure children get the support they need as early as possible. Here’s what we think the Government should do to help the 1.9 million children in the UK who are struggling with talking and understanding words:

  • Train teachers and early years staff: The Government should fund large-scale training programmes to teach educators how to:
    • Support children’s speech, language and communication skills.
    • Identify children who are having trouble talking and understanding words.
  • Right now, the Government has a one-size-fits-all approach to helping young children with speech and language challenges. Government pays for one set of tools and programmes, even though different schools have different needs and resources. We believe the Government should give schools more flexibility.
  • Provide clear guidance: Government should publish clear guidelines on the best evidence-based tools and programmes to help children with speech and language challenges.
  • Create a free tracking tool: Government should develop and provide a free tool for all primary schools to use. This tool would help schools:
    • Measure and track how well children are doing with their talking and understanding of words.
    • Identify children who need extra support.
    • This would save schools time and money, as they wouldn’t have to buy their own tracking systems.
  • Improve access to speech and language therapists: Government needs to ensure there are enough speech and language therapists available for children who need long-term support. This requires better planning and funding for the workforce.

In essence, we believe that better training, clear guidance, and improved access to support are crucial to ensuring that children with speech and language challenges receive the help they need to succeed.