Ministers appear to have abandoned their pledge to decide on sweeping reforms to the broken special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system by the end of the year. The much-delayed SEND and alternative provision (AP) green paper included a commitment to identify children鈥檚 needs more quickly and introduce new national standards for provision. When it was announced in March, ministers said they would publish a 鈥渘ational SEND delivery plan鈥� on how proposed changes would be implemented 鈥渓ater this year鈥�. It would also set out the government鈥檚 response to the three-month consultation, which closed in July. Hayes Since then, the Department for Education has had five ministerial teams amid the Conservative party leadership chaos. Any timelines from minister statements have now been ditched. Helen Hayes, Labour鈥檚 shadow children鈥檚 minister, accused the Conservatives of 鈥渟itting on the sidelines鈥� of the SEND system, adding 鈥渕onths of chaos鈥� within the party 鈥渕ust not be allowed to hamper reforms so evidently needed鈥�. 鈥淔amilies had to wait almost 1,000 days for the SEND review to be published. “The secretary of state must commit to no further delays in bringing forward plans which respond to the consultation feedback from parents and professionals working to support children with SEND.鈥� In September, then-children鈥檚 minister Kelly Tolhurst But her wording changed several days later, committing only to publish 鈥渁n implementation strategy in due course鈥�. DfE ‘reviewing feedback’ Last week, current children鈥檚 minister Claire Coutinho Instead, she said DfE was 鈥渃urrently reviewing the feedback received during the consultation period鈥� to 鈥渋nform the next stage of delivering improvements鈥�. DfE will 鈥渃ontinue to support the system in the immediate term鈥�, she added. DfE would not comment further. Launched in 2019, the review was delayed three times before its publication alongside the schools white paper in March. The consultation period was then extended by three weeks because of a delay in publishing accessible versions of documents. This week, 34 lawyers called for ministers to abandon the green paper proposals and instead introduce greater accountability on local authorities 鈥渇ailing to fulfil the legal duties鈥� of children. Schools Week has revealed how special schools are being forced to cram vulnerable pupils into converted therapy spaces and staffrooms amid a places crisis. Councils are sending more youngsters to costly independent schools, pushing their high-needs funding black hole to 拢1.3 billion. More than two thirds of councils inspected by Ofsted last year had 鈥渟ignificant weaknesses鈥� in how they supported SEND pupils.