It is ‘insane’, Reform’s Doge chief Richard Tice said this week, that children are wearing ear-defenders in classrooms, supposedly as a ‘calming activity’ to reduce anxiety and stress. Such practices, he said, show UK’s ‘special educational needs and disabilities’ system – known as Send – is not fit for purpose. The number of children receiving support for Send has increased from 1.3 million in 2019 to 1.7 million today, and by 2029, Send-related debts in UK councils are expected to reach £17.8 billion. These costs may bankrupt some local authorities. 

Tice is of the view that the Send system is being hijacked by some parents and exploited by a well-paid army of ‘occupational therapists’, child psychiatrists and solicitors hired by mums and dads to get them out of paying VAT on their child’s independent school fees. (In some instances, the fees of Send pupils can be exempt from sales tax.)

Bizarrely, though, not everyone even agrees that this crisis exists. Labour seems to believe authorities should spend more – probably billions more – on Send. Helen Hayes, chair of the Education Committee, said in a recent cross-party report that a ‘cultural shift’ across the sector is needed. She wants more money spent training and recruiting Send........

© The Spectator