Education secretary Bridget Phillipson faced criticism from the Law Society today for an attack on lawyers who oppose aspects of her proposed changes to the legal rights of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Phillipson said she was unsurprised by criticism of proposed SEND reforms from ‘vested interests’ and lawyers who profit from ‘exploiting parents’.
‘It’s a fundamentally unfair system if parents who’ve got the money to hire lawyers end up getting a better deal than those who don’t,’ she added. ‘But it’s little surprise to me that the vested interests and the lawyers are opposed to change, because they’ve got a lot to lose from this,’ Schools Week reported.
Phillipson’s reforms, set out in a consultation last month, would narrow the scope of SEND Tribunal judgments and restrict the use of education health and care plans.
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