PM says special educational needs ‘raised with me more than any other issue’

The prime minister has said that special educational needs (Send) is probably the issue that gets raised with him the most.

Speaking to ITV News Meridian from a school breakfast club in Reading, Sir Keir Starmer said the Government must get reform right and must therefore take the time to consult with parents.

Sir Keir said: “I think, uniformly, there’s a sense that the system at the moment isn’t working and needs reform.

“My strong view is we need to get that reform right and therefore we need to take the time to consult with parents and others.”

He said: “It’s probably the issue that gets raised with me across the House of Commons more than any other issue, which tells me it absolutely must be addressed.”

His comments came as the latest Department for Education (DfE) figures released on Thursday showed falls in the suspension and exclusion rates across all children from 2023/24 but an increase in suspensions for children with Send.

The rate of suspensions in the 2024/25 autumn term for pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) increased to 10.31 per 100 pupils.

The suspension rate for pupils receiving Send support increased to 11.09.

The total suspension rate had fallen to 4.02 compared with 4.13 in autumn 2023/24, and the total exclusion rate had fallen slightly from 0.05 to 0.04 – although both still remained above pre-pandemic levels.

Also while visiting the school breakfast club, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson was asked by reporters what the Government was doing to tackle suspensions and exclusions.

“We’re working with schools around issues like behaviour,” she said.

“We know that lots of schools report big challenges. That’s why we’ve launched new attendance and behaviour hubs.”

She said: “Schools have my full support in making sure the environments that they operate are safe, welcoming, and sadly, there will sometimes be occasions where schools do have to take that decision, if children are behaving in a way that jeopardises the safety of other students.”

The Government has delayed the publication of the Schools White Paper, which was set to include reforms to the Send system and expected this autumn, until 2026.

The delay was to give the Government more time to test reform proposals with families as well as teachers and experts, Ms Phillipson said.

The Prime Minister and Education Secretary were visiting a breakfast club at St Anne’s Catholic Primary School in Reading on Thursday as the Government announced schools could now apply to open the next 500 free breakfast clubs.

“These breakfast clubs are a real game-changer,” Sir Keir told BBC South Today during the visit.

“They’re free and you saw this morning how much the children enjoy them. They’re getting a decent meal, and they’re getting activity, and that sets them up for the day.

“It gives them a much better chance in terms of learning, and for parents, it gives them a chance to drop their children off, get to work, if that’s what they’re doing, and saves them a few hundred pounds.

“When the cost of living is the number one issue across the country, these breakfast clubs are really making a difference.”