For too long, too many families across West Cumbria have felt worn down by the system that is meant to support their children.
Over the past year, I’ve met with children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), sat down with parents who described exhausting battles for support, visited local schools doing their very best with limited resources, and listened closely to SEND charities and support organisations serving our area. I have taken what I have heard directly to ministerial colleagues to help shape the reforms now being introduced.
This week, the Government announced a £4 billion package to transform SEND support and make every mainstream school more inclusive. It is a significant moment – and one that must deliver real change for families here in Cumbria.
A central part of the reforms is a new £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund. This will provide direct funding to schools and early years settings over the next three years so they can step in earlier when a child begins to show additional needs. That could mean small group language support, more tailored teaching approaches, or earlier identification of learning differences – without families having to wait for problems to escalate.
Alongside this, a £1.8 billion “Experts at Hand” service will give schools direct access to specialist professionals such as educational psychologists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. Crucially, schools will be able to draw on this expertise whether or not a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan. Once fully rolled out, the average secondary school will receive the equivalent of more than 160 additional days of specialist support each year.
The reforms also include more than £200 million to ensure every Best Start Family Hub provides dedicated SEND outreach and advice, strengthening early help for parents. A further £200 million will fund the largest SEND teacher training programme ever delivered, with every teacher trained to support children with additional needs. And nationally, £3.7 billion in capital investment will create 60,000 new specialist places, helping more children attend and thrive in their local school.
None of this will fix every problem overnight. Families are right to expect sustained focus and accountability. But the direction of travel is clear: earlier support, stronger local expertise and an end to the adversarial culture that has left too many parents feeling they must fight for what their child needs.
Children in West Cumbria should not be forced to travel miles because their local school cannot meet their needs. Nor should parents feel exhausted by the process of securing help.
These reforms aim to rebuild confidence and put inclusion at the heart of all our schools. I will continue working with local families and feeding their experiences back into government to ensure the changes deliver for West Cumbria.
Josh MacAlister MP 