Just 6 per cent of local areas have the Special Educational Needs places they need. We need a proper plan to ensure every child gets the excellent education they deserve, writes Luton North MP Sarah Owen.

There is no reason why children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) should receive a different quality of education to everybody else – they deserve and are owed the support they need to thrive and succeed in life.

Luton North is lucky to be home to the excellent Woodlands Secondary, whose staff, facilities and surroundings provide the perfect environment for the children to excel. Every time I visit I’m impressed by the dedication and love the staff have for the job they do – and its clear this affection is reciprocated by their students.

Unfortunately, not every SEND pupil across the country is as well-supported. Children’s organisation Coram reports that just 6 per cent of local areas have the SEND places they need – in 2022 fewer than half of the education health and care plans, responsible for setting out the support provided to a child in school, were issued within the 20-week target. The number of families forced to appeal to SEND tribunals reached a record high. Teachers are having to offer support they are not properly trained for.

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Parents are facing the heartbreaking and relentless process of receiving an early diagnosis, getting appropriate support in primary school, and then trying to secure the right places at secondary school and beyond. All the while, increasing numbers of children are left behind: on average the attainment gap between SEND children and their peers is more than 2 years by the end of primary school – and nearly doubles by Year 11.

Too often, different services and care systems are not being joined up, leaving families falling through the gaps. Labour’s SEND plan will connect these services and improve data use, which can identify children’s needs and provide them with the support earlier. Labour will ensure every teacher gets the training they need to equip every child with the life skills to get on, and by improving speech and language support, to deliver crucial, evidence-based early language interventions.

This will combine with Labour’s commitment to a mental health specialist in every school and open-access mental health hubs in every community, to ensure no matter how complex a children’s needs are, they are not unfairly left behind. Every child deserves an excellent education, and Labour will ensure they get one. If you’re a parent of a SEND child and would like to chat, please email [email protected].