Department for Education [May 2012] Support and Aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability – progress and next steps. Our response.

Response to Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability

Disability Alliance response

The Green Paper Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability sets out a ‘vision for reform’ to improve outcomes for children and young people who are disabled or have special educational needs (SEN) and to minimise the adversarial nature of the system for families and maximise value for money.

You can view Disability Alliance's response to the Green Paper below. Disability Alliance is now part of Disability Rights UK, formed through a unification of Disability Alliance, Radar and National Centre for Independent Living.

Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability – Progress and next steps

This report sets out the Government response to the consultation on the Green Paper and the next steps the Government will take to put the Green Paper reforms in place, including through legislation.

The Green Paper set out a system in which:

  • Children’s special educational needs are picked up early and support is routinely put in place quickly;
  • Staff have the knowledge, understanding and skills to provide the right support for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled wherever they are;
  • Parents know what they can reasonably expect their local school, local college, local authority and local services to provide, without them having to fight for it and are more closely involved in decisions about services;
  • Children who would currently have a statement of SEN and young people over 16 who would have a learning difficulty assessment have an integrated assessment and a single Education, Health and Care Plan which is completed in a shorter time and without families having the stress of going from pillar to post to get the support they need; and,
  • Parents have greater control over the services they and their family use with:
  • every family with an Education, Health and Care plan having the right to a personal budget for their support and
  • parents whose children have an Education, Health and Care Plan having the right to seek a place at any state-funded school, whether that is a special or mainstream school, a maintained school, Academy or Free School.

You can view the Government's response on the Department of Education website.

Disability Rights UK has responded to the government's response.

Note: for pdf files you will need to download adobe acrobat reader. To convert the pdf to alternative formats or for more information on accessibility go to adobe accessibility.