With the change of government, SEND is certainly getting its two minutes of fame and a new Children’s Wellbeing Bill.
My Ministers will seek to raise educational standards and break down barriers to opportunity… A Bill will be introduced to raise standards in education and promote children’s wellbeing [Children’s Wellbeing Bill.]
The King
SchoolsWeek report that a briefing note from Downing Street stated that “the bill will put children and their wellbeing at the centre of the education and children’s social care systems, and make changes so they are safe, healthy, happy and treated fairly.”
There will be an expectation that all schools “cooperate with the local authority on school admissions, SEND inclusion, and place planning, by giving local authorities greater powers to help them deliver their functions on school admissions and ensure admissions decisions account for the needs for communities.”
Meanwhile, almost in the same breath, Labour announce its intention for an updated Mental Health Act (a system created over 40 years ago).
I am confident that there will be some degree of confluence when considering some of our most vulnerable “young people” and learners who are SEND and living with mental wellbeing challenges.