A FORMER Tory education minister is warning that children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) are being “let down day after day” by government cuts.

In a scathing report out today, chairman of the Commons education committee Robert Halfon claims that parents “face a titanic struggle” to get the “right support” for Send children.

“Families are often forced to wade through a treacle of bureaucracy, in a system which breeds conflict and despair as parents try to navigate a postcode lottery of provision,” he said.

Mr Halfon demanded “radical change” and “clear consequences” to ensure that the government met its obligations under the Children and Families Act 2014.

His criticism is particularly embarrassing for the Conservative Party, because he served as a minister at the Department for Eduction from 2016-17.

He has spent the last 18 months chairing an inquiry into Send provision, hearing from more than 70 witnesses and receiving more than 700 written submissions.

It has led him to conclude that politicians “need to end this major social injustice.”

He added: “Of course, extra funding for Send announced in the spending round is welcome but the truth is that more cash will fail to make a difference to children with special education needs unless there is a radical change of approach throughout the system.

“Rather than making do with sticking plasters, what is needed is a transformation, a more strategic oversight and fundamental change to ensure a generation of children is no longer let down.” 

Labour’s shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said: “This devastating report exposes a system on the verge of breakdown. 

“Even a senior Conservative MP is now warning that parents have been ‘let down’ and left ‘in despair’ without the support which they and their children need. 

“It is the latest evidence that the most vulnerable children are paying the highest price for this government’s cuts.” 

National Education Union joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “Children have one chance in education, and Send pupils need the right levels of funding right now.”

He said 93 per cent of local authorities have lost out on Send funding since 2015, leaving a £1.7 billion shortfall.