SEND & The Election

What Will the General Election 2024 Mean for SEND?

In the coming weeks, we'll have  a look at all the SEND-related policies for each major party. Hopefully, there will be some answers about what a new government might mean for children and young people with SEND and their families.

Voting for Change

While it may be tempting to vote for a particular party because of their leaders, as happened back in 2019, it is your local candidate that you are voting for.

Big swings are being predicted by pollsters, so your vote really does matter.

SEND Change Programme and Safety Valve

While politicians return to their constituencies, officials in the Department for Education will continue with the SEND Change Programme. The Safety Valve and Delivering Better Value programmes will also continue.

Assurances have been sought by campaign groups from the DfE regarding troubling evidence of unlawful policies being pushed by Safety Valve local authorities, but no response has been received to date.

Regardless of who wins, it's unlikely that SEND will be a top priority for the new government. If the current government is re-elected, things will continue unabated. If Sir Keir Starmer takes office, don’t expect significant changes for SEND in the near term.

Expectations from Political Parties

The bookies favourites, The Labour party, SEND policies are still unclear at this time.

We need them to listen to families and not make up their own ideas. We don’t want more wholesale changes or unevidenced policies. We need compliance with existing laws and proper resourcing for councils and schools.

Post-Election Expectations

After the election, new education ministers will likely take time to assess the situation. We need to educate them about the realities faced by children and young people with SEND and their families.

If Labour wins, as the polls may suggest, they will be held to account just as we have done with the Conservative governments before—there will not be a free pass.

Conclusion

Regardless of the election outcome, our efforts will continue. We will keep advocating for the needs of children and young people with SEND, their parents, guardians, and carers, both paid and unpaid.

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