Some parents of special school pupils in England spending £5,000 on EHCPs

One specialist said: ‘Desperate families often pay for assessments themselves … we effectively have a two-tier system.’ Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

One in eight children in special schools have parents who spent £5,000 or more on their assessments, according to research that reveals huge inequalities in how parents navigate England’s special educational needs system.

The research comes as the government is planning to overhaul special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision in schools. Despite earlier reports that education, health and care plans (EHCPs) that detail support for each child would be scrapped as part of the overhaul, sources have told the Guardian that the plans will now survive the reforms.