The Education and Skills Select Committee report, Special Educational Needs: Assessment and Funding, suggests separating funding and assessment of special needs to avoid conflicts of interest that may occur when councils assess what help children need, and fund that support. The committee argues local authorities or children's trusts should commission assessments, and that greater responsibility for assessment could be delegated to schools.
But Brian Lamb, chair of the Special Educational Consortium, accused the committee of "barking up the wrong tree" by putting so much emphasis onthe issue.
"Their central claim that it is easy and possible to separate funding and assessment just isn't backed up by the proposals they discuss. The committee sees separation as a silver bullet that would cut through all the problems, but all it would do is displace them," Lamb said.
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