SEND and Private Provision: We spoke to the Independent
I'm a SEND parent - this is why we're turning to private school'It's stressful and hard for parents trying to get the best for their child,' one SEND parent told The i Paper
Matt Woods’s seven-year-old daughter has Autism Spectrum Disorder and an EHCP
July 09, 2025 10:00 am (Updated 10:10 am)
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A father who is turning to private school for his daughter’s education has called on the Government to improve the state system for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).Matt Woods, 42, is the co-founder of Firefly Education, a London-based company which places SEN professionals and teachers with families and independent schools.Mr Woods’s seven-year-old daughter has Autism Spectrum Disorder and an education, health and care plan (EHCP), which was gained through a private consultation.These plans are legally binding documents issued to give children specialist classroom support.“From the off, as soon as we noticed she wasn’t hitting key milestones as a toddler, we knew we’d be waiting forever for the NHS to make an assessment, so we booked our own private consultation through contacts we know through work,” he said.The assessment cost Mr Woods £1,500, plus the time cost of collecting the evidence required to complete the process. He is also looking at independent schools for his daughter, which he hopes will offer better support.He told The i Paper that he thinks state schools are rigid environments for children with SEND.He said that while private schools are better resourced, state schools could do more to adapt, though he does not believe they are currently set up for such flexibility.“Even though we have the connections and some resources to make it a bit easier, there’s no guarantee an independent school will accept her,” Mr Woods said.“It’s still stressful and hard for parents trying to get the best for their child.”Earlier this week, The i Paper reported that ministers are looking at sweeping changes to the SEND system that would remove the requirement for individual care plans for pupils.What is an EHCP?It is a legal document that identifies the educational, health and social needs of a child or young person and lays out the additional support required to meet those needs.It is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support.Requests can be made to the relevant local authority to carry out an assessment.Evidence is needed to support any application, which can include a child or young person’s school reports, provision plans from the school, letters from responsible adults and diagnoses if they have any.The local authority will decide whether to carry out an assessment and if it decides to do so, it will then make a decision on whether to refuse an EHCP or issue one.In total, there were 638,745 EHCPs in place in January 2025, up 10.8 per cent on the same point last year.A plan to increase the number of places in SEND units at mainstream schools is expected to eventually phase out the need for EHCPs over time.While officials believe that the reforms will remove the need for parents to go through the often onerous battle of securing EHCPs, individual care plans are likely to remain for those with the most complex needs.Campaigners have warned they will fight any changes that would restrict or abolish EHCPs, which are legally binding documents that describe a young person’s individual needs and must be obtained before parents can claim council-funded support.Reflecting on his daughter’s experience, Mr Woods told The i Paper that her EHCP has been far more limited than he expected.He said the only support his daughter gets through the EHCP is a teaching assistant, who is with her for parts of the day.He credits most of her progress to the privately funded speech therapy she receives weekly. Mr Woods has engaged in a tribunal process to attempt to secure more adequate support for his daughter at her state school.He said the process has been “long and frustrating,” adding that his family has accrued a number of “unseen costs” that go far beyond what he expected.“We’ve had to put work on hold numerous times to help our daughter achieve the appropriate level of education other children are entitled to,” he said.Read Next
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Looking ahead, Mr Woods says he is worried that the already inflexible system will be further limited.
“SEND children will still be there, regardless of whether the systems are or not,” he said.
Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: “The SEND system urgently needs fixing, but ministers mustn’t use that as an excuse to balance the books on the backs of disabled children.
“The Government is ignoring the concerns of special needs families and campaigners, and is in serious danger of sleepwalking into another crisis – just like they did with the welfare Bill.
“Bridget Phillipson must listen to those concerns and come up with a proper solution that protects the most vulnerable in our communities, rather than throwing their support out the window.”
Phillipson has defended her approach to reforms for children with SEND.
She told MPs on Monday: “I would say to all parents of children with SEND, there is no responsibility I take more seriously than our responsibility to some of the most vulnerable children in our country.
“We will ensure, as a Government, that children get better access to more support, strengthened support, with a much sharper focus on early intervention.”