The Guardian view on special needs reform: children’s needs must be the priority as the system is redesigned

‘Bridget Phillipson and her team also need to show that they are capable of engaging beyond the circle of appointed experts and parliamentarians.’ Photograph: DGLimages/Shutterstock

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) must be supported through the education system to fulfil their potential as fully as possible. This is the bottom line for the families of the 1.6 million children with a recognised additional learning need in England, and all those who support them. It needs to be the government’s priority too.

There is no question that the rising number of children receiving extra help has placed pressure on schools and councils. There is wide agreement that the current trajectory is not sustainable. But if plans for reform are shaped around the aim of saving money by removing entitlements, rather than meeting the needs of children by improving schools, they should be expected to fail.