Labour to scrap government's SEN reforms

The party's manifesto for disabled people states that, should it win the general election, it intends to address the "disability education gap", which it claims "stops disabled children fulfilling their potential".

This will involve replacing the "flawed" EHC plan assessment, which it says has been "used to restrict access to support".

"Labour will deliver a strategy for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) based on inclusivity, and embed SEND more substantially into training for teachers and non-teaching staff, so that staff, children and their parents are properly supported," the manifesto states.

"Although the 2014 Children and Families Act introduced education health and care plans from birth to 25 years providing the potential for a more joined-up needs assessment and care plan, it is clear that the EHC plans are in effect restricting access to support for all but those with the most severe needs.

"Getting an assessment in the first place requires monumental efforts from parents and teachers alike, and on top of that there are issues with the quality of these assessments."

Under government plans, all children with existing SEN statements must be assessed and transferred from the old system on to new EHC plans by April 2018. But there are fears that councils will struggle to be ready in time.

Last month, figures published by the Department for Education showed the number of children receiving additional support for special educational needs (SEN) stands at 287,290. Of these, 175,233 (61 per cent) are now on EHC plans.

The statistics also show that there were 14,795 initial requests for an assessment for an EHC plan that were refused during the 2016 calendar year, an increase of 3,860 (35.3 per cent) from the 2015 calendar year.

Labour's manifesto for disabled people also sets out plans to:

• Tackle the discrimination against disabled children in accessing education, including in free schools and academies?
• Make sure that the modern apprenticeship programme is open to all, and increase the numbers of disabled trainees included in the programme
• Place a duty on all higher education institutions to ensure that their courses are accessible to disabled students, including through scrapping tuition fees, course support and support for living costs.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "Labour will ensure that disabled people and people with mental health conditions have access to the support they need and will work with disabled people to build an inclusive society, where no one is held back from fulfilling their potential and realising their aspirations."