As a foster carer since the early 2000s, I’ve witnessed the human cost of Britain’s broken SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) system at close quarters: children sent home after uncontrollable outbursts in class, or simply crumpling into a heap at the end of the school day because their needs go unmet. So when Keir Starmer took to the airwaves this week, pledging a £4 billion overhaul of the SEND system, inspired by his late brother’s struggles, I wanted to believe it was the lifeline these children deserve.

A growing minority of well-advised parents have learnt how to navigate, and sometimes game, the system to secure one-to-one teaching

A growing minority of well-advised parents have learnt how to navigate, and sometimes game, the system to secure one-to-one teaching

But let’s not kid ourselves, this “generational” reform is as much a desperate bid to curb spiralling costs as it is about inclusion. And if we’re serious about fixing a setup that’s failing the most vulnerable, like my eight-year-old foster son Jack, ripping up classrooms while his EHCP (education, health and care plan) application gathers dust, we need brutal honesty, not spin.

Jack’s story is an indictment of the current mess. Born addicted to crack cocaine, his needs are not subtle. When schoolwork feels “too hard,” he refuses to engage, disrupts lessons, and sometimes requires the entire class to be evacuated while staff attempt to calm him down.

His teachers see how severe his needs are. His classmates, who would quite like to learn about the Tudors without him jigging around on top of their desks, see it. Even the dinner ladies notice. The SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) described his EHCP application as “an open and shut case”, but the local authority rejected it. Why? Partly because a growing minority of well-advised parents have learnt how to navigate, and sometimes game, the system to secure one-to-one teaching, extra tutoring or exam concessions. So genuine cases like Jack’s get........

© The Spectator