A former education secretary and ex-children’s commissioner are among members of a taskforce on how to reform the “broken” SEND system.
The IPPR think tank’s independent inclusion taskforce, chaired by former ASCL general secretary Geoff Barton, will produce a “roadmap to reform” and aims to address “urgent challenges” in the current system.
Other prominent names include Confederation of School Trusts chief executive Leora Cruddas and Hilary Spencer, CEO of the Ambition Institute.
One in five children are now identified as having special educational needs, equivalent to six children in every classroom.
It comes ahead of a government white paper, expected in the autumn, that will set out ministers’ reform proposals.
The full membership of the panel, announced today, includes Conservative peer Baroness Morgan, who served as education secretary between 2014-16.
Also on the taskforce is Labour peer Baroness Longfield, who served as England’s children’s commissioner from 2015 to 2021 and then set up the Centre for Young Lives.
‘A practical plan’
The taskforce will gather evidence from families, educators, local authorities and support professionals, with recommendations set to be published in the autumn.
Ministers have remained tight-lipped about what reforms could look like and refused to rule out scrapping education and health care plans last month. Charities have warned the idea of scrapping plans “will terrify families”.
Barton will also host two podcasts each week as part of the inclusion taskforce’s work, set to delve into the challenges and opportunities for reform.
Barton served as ASCL’s general secretary for seven years. Before that he was a head of a Suffolk comprehensive school for 15 years.
He said the panel “brings together people with the expertise, lived experience and determination to imagine a system that works for everyone – and to set out a practical plan to get there.”
The full membership
- Geoff Barton – former teacher, headteacher and general secretary of ASCL
- Baroness Morgan of Cote – former secretary of state for education
- Baroness Anne Longfield – executive chair and founder of the Centre for Young Lives, and former Children’s Commissioner for England
- Jonny Uttley – CEO of the Education Alliance Multi-Academy Trust
- Leora Cruddas – founding chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts
- Wasim Butt – National Director at Ormiston Academies Trust
- Hilary Spencer – CEO of Ambition Institute
- Margaret Mullholland – SEND specialist at ASCL and advisor to the UK government
- Susan Tranter – chief executive of EdAct Trust
- John Pearce – former president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS)
- Sarah Clarke and Jo Harrison – parents and co-chairs of the National Network of Parent and Carer Forums
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