红桃影视

Labour will wait until after the election to set out its full plans to tackle the 鈥渆normous鈥� challenge facing the SEND system, Bridget Phllipson has said.

The shadow education secretary told journalists at the conference that she was 鈥渘ot prepared鈥� to make families promises she could not keep as she was pressed repeatedly on the party鈥檚 lack of a plan for the sector.

Labour has said little on SEND, and is keeping quiet about its plans for all aspects of education funding, around which many of the issues facing the sector revolve.

Phillipson said the 鈥渃hallenge on SEND is enormous鈥� and admitted it would 鈥渢ake us time to turn that around鈥� if Labour forms the next government. She promised an 鈥渆arly focus on reforming the system鈥�, and early intervention in children鈥檚 lives.

鈥淔ar too many of the problems that we’re seeing at the moment are coming about because of long waiting lists, a lack of early intervention or lack of early help, and it’s about those services that sit around families, as well as the support that we need to see within our schools.

鈥淏ut I’m in no doubt as to the scale of the challenge. And we will need to get a much fuller understanding from government if we win the election as to the full extent of just how chaotic the system has become and what needs to change.鈥�

’14 years of failed reform’

She said providing support earlier to pupils with less complex needs would 鈥渇ree up鈥� specialist provision for those who need 鈥渙ngoing support鈥�.

The government is in the process of reforming the SEND system. It published an implementation plan last year, but changes are due to take several years to be enacted. Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, acknowledged last year the system was 鈥渓ose, lose, lose鈥� for families.

Phillipson described 14 years of 鈥渇ailed reform that has left us in a position where children and families are the losers in all of this, where schools are really struggling to meet the demands that they place upon them鈥�.

She said there was a need to 鈥渄o more鈥� to support school staff with training and development to help a 鈥渕ore diverse range of need鈥� in mainstream schools.

‘Failed promises’

Pressed further, she said she was 鈥渙nly prepared to make commitments I’m absolutely confident that I can keep, and as I was saying in my speech, promises that I know I can deliver鈥�.

鈥淭he families of children with SEND have had enough of failed promises and enough of support that’s never materialised. They face far too adversarial a system, and the change that will be required in terms of the landscape overall, in our school system around SEND is serious, it is necessary, but it has to be right.

鈥淚 think families of children with SEND have had enough of a system that isn’t delivering but have had enough of promises from politicians that just hadn’t been kept and I’m not prepared to do that.鈥�

Labour ‘understands’ need for funding certainty

Phillipson was also pressed by Schools Week about funding. The party has said it will wait to see the state of the nation鈥檚 finances after the next election before making any commitments.

But schools have also raised serious concerns about the timing of school funding decisions. Teacher pay decisions are usually made right at the end of summer term, after budgets have been set.

And the government has said the next spending review will take place after the next election, meaning schools won鈥檛 know about their funding levels from next March until much later in the year.

Phillipson said Labour would face a 鈥渞eally difficult set of public finances, a really tough fiscal inheritance鈥� if it wins, 鈥渟o we would need to take a view as to where we are鈥�.

But she said she and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves 鈥渦nderstand the arguments鈥� about predictability of funding.

鈥淥verall, not simply where we talk about funding, we do need a longer-term approach in terms of the shift that we need to see, that’s why Keir Starmer has talked about a decade of national renewal.

鈥淪ome of the changes that we will need to deliver if we win will require a longer term view, also around how we prevent problems becoming more acute, how we make sure we’ve got earlier support for children and families.鈥�