| Dear John,
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is being pushed to the brink, with families struggling to secure vital support for their children.
Children with SEND deserve the same opportunities as every child. They should get all the support they need to get the best education, so they can thrive not only in childhood, but throughout their lives.
But it’s deeply disturbing that our country is currently failing in this basic duty. Many parents are desperate, fighting tooth and nail to give their children the best start in life.
But sadly, the system is letting children and their parents down far too often.
This week, research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats reveals that private SEND providers are shamefully profiteering from this crisis.
The top private equity companies providing SEND schooling have made profits of over £100 million a year, with some making margins of over 20%. Some of them are backed by companies based in tax havens or foreign sovereign wealth funds, while they pay their directors six-figure salaries. | |
| Companies shouldn’t be making such astronomical profits off the backs of disabled children, especially when council finances are on the brink, with many facing bankruptcy and having to reduce or even end service provision for vulnerable groups.
It’s clear: they are exploiting the shortage of SEND services for profit, viewing children with special educational needs as cash cows.
This must end. That’s why we’re calling for private providers to face an 8% cap on their profits, so money is channelled back into the SEND system and not into the pockets of shareholders.
Firms exceeding this level should face sanctions, including returning these excess profits to local authorities.
We proposed a cap as an amendment to the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, but sadly Labour voted to block it and the Conservatives refused to back it. With the true scale of this scandal now revealed, will the Government now listen?
Please share our demands with your friends and family: | |
 This cap should go alongside other measures to boost the SEND system, including supporting councils to build their own schools.
With Government plans for SEND reform due out later this year, now’s the time to make our voices heard.
In July, Ed Davey and I wrote to the Prime Minister to outline our five fundamental principles which we believe should underpin these upcoming reforms: |
| If the Government follows these priorities, they’ll have our support.
It's time to put our children first, not corporate greed.
Best wishes, | |
 | Munira Wilson MP
Education, Children and Families Spokesperson
Liberal Democrats | | |
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