Retain legal right to assessment and support in education for children with SEND
Support in education is a vital legal right of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We ask the government to commit to maintaining the existing law, so that vulnerable children with SEND can access education and achieve their potential.
Signatures
132,789
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 10,000/10,000 · reached
Debate threshold (100,000) · 100,000/100,000 · reached
- 09 OCT 2025Petition closedFinal total: 132,789 signatures
- 11 JUN 2025100,000 signatures reachedEligible to be considered for debate
- 04 JUN 2025Government respondedDepartment for EducationGovernment reply
There will always be a legal right to additional support for children with SEND. No decisions have been made on changes to legislation. We are engaging with families on improvements to SEND provision.
Read full response - 18 MAY 202510,000 signatures reachedEligible for a government response
- 09 APR 2025Petition opened for signatures
Background
It has been reported that the government is considering making changes to The Children and Families Act 2014, which sets out the legal rights to assessment and statutory support in education for disabled children. We believe that these rights do not only help vulnerable children and their families - they also reduce costs to the state in adulthood. We think that removing statutory obligations on local authorities could mean many children do not get the support they need to reach their potential.