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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Patrick Butler and Pamela Duncan

Spiralling demand and shrinking budgets: why England’s Send system is buckling

Graphic with woman and child and school and court sign
Frustrated families who feel failed by mainstream schools are locked in bitter battles with the authorities to get support for their children. Composite: Guardian Design/Alamy/Getty Images/Shutterstock

It was all meant to be so different. Announcing sweeping reforms of the special needs provision in England’s schools a decade ago, the then children’s minister Edward Timpson promised a simpler approach that would put the needs, rights and choices of families and children first.

“For too long, families have found themselves battling against a complex and fragmented system. These reforms ensure support fits in with their needs and not the other way round,” said Timpson.

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