UK Minister Hints Special-Needs Care Plans May Be Phased Out

UK Education Minister Stephen Morgan said the government is reviewing the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system and declined to guarantee that children will continue to receive the legally enforceable Education, Health and Care Plans that currently set out their support in mainstream and specialist schools. Pressed in several broadcast interviews, Morgan acknowledged the SEND framework is "broken" and said officials are examining alternatives, but he would not rule out phasing out EHCPs altogether. Interviewers suggested the move could be a Treasury-driven cost-cutting measure; the minister responded only that reforms aim to make provision work better for families. Parents are legally entitled to EHCPs when a local authority identifies significant additional needs. Ending the plans would mark the most sweeping change to special-needs support since they were introduced in 2014 and could affect tens of thousands of pupils across England. The Department for Education has not set a timetable for the review.