Organisations and experts working with children who have special needs have reacted angrily to comments made by Richard Tice about how to tackle the SEND crisis in schools.
The deputy leader of Reform UK told an event in Westminster that there will be “no bins collected” if the crisis in SEND is allowed to continue, because of the costs involved in delivering services.
He said the was a “crisis of overdiagnosis of children with neurodiverse issues” and said Reform would “push almost all of it back to schools” which “know best”.
Elected politicians have a responsibility to speak thoughtfully on the basis of evidence
Tice, who was outlining how a Reform government would implement efficiency savings, said that annual reviews of EHCPs were “unnecessary” and were costing “two to four grand a pop”.
He added: “And stop labelling people, just say ‘you need a bit of extra support, you might need a bit of extra time’
“You’ve got to the mad situation now where children who don’t have any form of label are starting to feel left out.
“They’re feeling that in inverted commas, they’re the normal minority, it’s insane and it’s becoming a sort of school joke.
“I’ll just raise one more point, the sight of children in classes wearing ear defenders, I’m sorry, this is just insane. It’s got to stop. The teachers want it to stop. Heads want it to stop. It’s not the right way forward.”
“Spreading lies” and myths
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Ear defenders are used by some pupils to aid concentration and learning.
“There is a debate to be had about the strengths and limitations of doing so, but it is a mischaracterisation to suggest that teachers and headteachers simply want this to stop.”
He added: “We are concerned by arguments that focus on cost as opposed to meeting the needs of all children with special educational needs and disabilities.
“It is possible that the role of EHCPs will change in future as a result of the government’s SEND reforms. Currently they are viewed very highly by parents, as they provide a legal guarantee of support for their child, and therefore any changes must have their confidence, as well as that of the education sector as a whole.”
SEND groups also condemned Tice’s comments. Joey Nettleton Burrows of the National Autistic Society said it was parents who were spending time and money to fight “a broken SEND system” to get support for their children.
“Claiming there is ‘overdiagnosis’ couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said. “The system needs to be reformed to meet the needs of all children, so that SEND children, including autistic young people, can access a suitable school place and thrive.
“Spreading these kinds of lies stigmatises autistic people and makes life harder for them and their families.”
Ian Hopkinson, a member of the campaigning support group Voice for Learners, said: “Elected politicians have a responsibility to speak thoughtfully on the basis of evidence.
“Richard Tice clearly has limited experience of neurodivergent children, or he might know that ear defenders are a cheap and effective intervention which makes their lives easier.
“Tice is correct that the solution lies in schools, but they must be schools that are sensitive to the experiences of neurodivergent children and create inclusive environments. Perhaps this will remove the need for ear defenders.”
Education consultant and SEND specialist, Lorraine Petersen, suggested Tice should get his data from “more reliable sources”.
“The SEND crisis is not due to overdiagnosis, but to a whole range of issues that have developed over the last ten years, including a Global Pandemic, lack of appropriate resources, improvements in medical science and excessive use of devices,” she added.
Meanwhile, Private ADHD wrote in a blog: “Comments such as Tice’s risk reinforcing outdated myths about ADHD and neurodiversity.
“They also minimise the lived experiences of children, adults, families, and teachers facing extremely long NHS waits, lack of access to timely assessment, difficulties at school without formal recognition, the mental health impact of unmanaged ADHD, and challenges with masking and burnout.
“People seek private assessment because they can’t get the help they need—not because labels are being handed out casually.”
