According to a report from right-wing think-tank Policy Exchange, ministers have been told that councils should not be obliged to fund support for children in mainstream schools with special needs, and the bar must be raised for youths claiming disability benefits.
The report, which is backed by the former minister, argues definitions of mental ill health and neurodivergence have been expanded to the point of overwhelming the state system.
Hunt, who was health secretary between 2012 and 2018 and later Chancellor, made the comments in the forward to the report, saying society has “lost sight of the fundamental reality that child development is a messy and uneven process”.
It offer specific funding, specialist educational support, or give parents more choice over a child’s schooling.
Jeremy Hunt was quoted in the forward to the report, which was from a think-tank co-founded by former minister Michael Gove (Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)The report argues EHCPs should be non-statutory and the obligation for local authorities to meet the associated costs should be removed.
The report also proposes that the length of time a person must have a condition to be eligible for Personal Independence Payment disability benefits should be doubled from nine to 18 months.
Government data shows there were 638,745 in place in January 2025, up 10.8 per cent on the same point last year.
square POLITICS Labour rows back on pledge to ban foie gras imports
Read More
The Government is expected to publish a White Paper detailing how it will reform support for SEND in the autumn.
The report, titled Out of Control, focuses on addressing the rise in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders among young people.
Rather than simply pumping more money into the system, questions must be asked around the role of “good work, physical activity, social connection,” he said.
Hunt added: “Across the political spectrum, and amongst a growing range of practitioners, it is now recognised that there is a level of ‘over-diagnosis’ in our system. We need to cut through the complexity to better understand the drivers of demand we are seeing.”
Hence then, the article about send support should be scaled back to those with highest need says jeremy hunt was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( SEND support should be scaled back to those with highest need, says Jeremy Hunt )
Also on site :