Ministers are considering extending their consultation on plans set out in the landmark SEND review, following delays in publishing accessible versions of the documents.
The green paper was launched at the end of last month, with British Sign Language and an easy-read version of the consultation promised by “early April”.
But almost a month has now passed, and the additional accessible versions have still not been published. This is despite the government having had over two years to prepare the review for publication.
Asked on Twitter by campaign group Special Needs Jungle about the documents, children’s minister Will Quince said he was “sorry” it had taken “longer than I had hoped”.
He said the team was “working as quickly as possible to make accessible versions available in the coming days”.
Quince added today that he had “heard your concerns about accessible versions of the SEND review green paper not being ready and whether you’ll have enough time to respond”.
“I’m considering extending the consultation period as I want as many people as possible to take part. I will update in the coming days.”
The SEND review was delayed three times after first being launched in 2019.
It was finally published on March 29, marking the opening of a 13-week consultation.
The proposed policies look to establish a “single national SEND and alternative provision system that sets clear standards for the provision that children and young people should expect to receive”.
Your thoughts