Earlier this month, the secretary of state for Education, the Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, presented the Government’s Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, setting out proposed reforms to the school’s system and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision.
While the Government has framed these proposals as transformative, there are significant concerns from many residents across Chingford and Woodford Green.
In recent months, I have met with families and several local SEND parent groups to hear many harrowing stories of their experiences with the SEND provision for their children from the local authority.
It is clear from my conversations with parents that there is significant concern about the failings of the current system and fear that these reforms may further destabilise the already fragile support for their children.
I raised parents’ concerns in the House of Commons during the minister’s statement on SEND reform.
I made it clear the sad reality facing many families, in my constituency, particularly who live in Redbridge, whose SEND provision has been severely criticised by their Ofsted 2025 report.
The inspection described the council’s services as “disjointed”, suffering from “weak co-ordination” and “limited accountability”, with provision “falling short” of children’s needs.
A particular concern relates to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP).
Many parents have raised with me the prolonged and often difficult process required to secure these necessary plans.
The report highlighted cases in which parents were ignored, and EHCPs were not issued when they should have been. For some families, it has taken years of assessments, appeals and, in extreme cases, legal action.
Families who have finally obtained an EHCP for their child are now concerned that these changes to the system could result in their child’s EHCP being under threat.
Therefore, in the House of Commons, I called on the secretary of state to set out what action the Government will take where local councils have failed in their statutory duty of care, and to provide reassurance that children currently in receipt of EHCP will not lose their required support as a consequence of these reforms.
The system needs to change, and I will meet parents again very shortly so that I can represent residents’ concerns both locally and nationally to ensure that the systemic failings parents in our area have experienced are not repeated or allowed to continue.
- Iain Duncan Smith is the Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green.
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