Responding to the Public Accounts Committee report warning that the crisis facing the system of support for children with special educational needs (SEND) could result in a 'lost generation' of young people, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“The broken SEND system is failing everyone – children, parents, schools and local authorities.

“It cannot be right that the support children receive often depends not on their needs, but on where they live in the country, and although schools work tirelessly to put the right provision in place they are hamstrung by shortages of funding, resources and specialist staff.

“While this mess is not of the current government’s making, we welcome the committee’s call for ministers to act with urgency to understand the causes of this crisis, set out the support children should be entitled to, with a focus on early intervention, and match this with the funding required to deliver this support.

“The government must build on the support outlined in the Budget with further funding in the spring spending review, confront the financial cliff-edge councils face next year by writing off SEND-related deficits, and work with the sector on the long-term reform and investment needed to make a lasting difference.”