MPs on the Education Select Committee say individual Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) must remain, warning they are a vital legal safeguard for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

Their report calls for statutory national minimum standards of Send support in all schools, plus mandatory Send training for every teacher and headteacher.

Recommendations include more state specialist schools and per-pupil Send funding that keeps pace with inflation, after the National Audit Office warned the system is financially unsustainable.

Parents and campaigners fear government reforms, expected this autumn, could dilute EHCP rights; many stress these plans are crucial to secure support despite rising numbers of pupils needing help.

The Department for Education says it is “listening to families” and investing in new specialist places and improved teacher training as part of plans to “transform outcomes for every child with Send.”