The Wealthy Bypass: How Money Buys Time in the SEND System

While Local Authorities (LAs) are fighting hard to deal with the school absence crisis, their efforts are being outpaced by the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. This leads to a parent's wealth determining their child's access to legally entitled support.

Local Authority Efforts vs. Systemic Barriers

Local Authorities (LAs) are responding by initiating programs like the Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) and setting up Attendance Hubs. These are designed to share best practice and offer targeted support. However, these efforts are not meeting the current financial strain and unprecedented demand.

The biggest policy barrier is the Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan process itself. This legally binding document secures statutory support. The statutory deadline for issuing an EHC Plan is 20 weeks. In 2024, data from the National Audit Office (NAO) showed that approximately less than 50% of EHC Plans missed this statutory target, worse than 2023.

The Class War in SEND

With months-long waiting lists for necessary diagnostic assessments (like those for Autism or ADHD), parents who can afford it take an alternative route: private diagnosis.

• The Cost: A full private Educational Psychology assessment or Autism assessment can cost between £1,500 and £5,000.
• The Advantage: By providing the LA with this report, parents fast-track their child to the EHC Needs Assessment stage.

The Problem of the Unregulated Sector

Frustrated with waiting, many parents turn to elective home education (EHE) or negotiate an Education Otherwise Than In School (EOTAS) package. This opens the door to a rise in unregulated educators. These settings provide teaching that falls outside formal school registration requirements. This can lead to safeguarding risks and puts responsibility on parents to find 'suitable' provision or to become educators themselves.

The Catastrophic Impact of Scrapping EHC Plans

In policy debates, the rising cost of EHC Plans is often cited as a reason for reform. But what if the government were to scrap the system entirely?

The hundreds of thousands of EHC Plans currently in place are legally enforceable entitlements. Abolishing them would remove the legal safety net for over half a million children and young people. The only feasible path forward is radical reform and funding, not abolition.

Plans to fix the special educational needs (SEND) system won't be revealed until early 2026, a delay from the original autumn 2025 schedule. When the new plan is published, it is expected to announce major changes to EHCPs and establish National Standards so all children receive the same quality of help, no matter where they live.

Call to Action

While the system's inequities are frustrating, we are not powerless. If you have navigated the complex EHC process successfully, why not volunteer to mentor a family struggling to start their journey? Every minute you spend sharing knowledge helps build a more equitable structure. Share your experience of the EHCP process and assessment wait times by emailing info@rescopingeducation.co.uk.