Claire Young MP has thrown her weight behind a new Liberal Democrat plan to overhaul support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), calling the current system a national crisis.

The Thornbury and Yate MP backed the motion at the party’s Spring Conference in Harrogate, where it passed overwhelmingly. It calls for sweeping reforms, including mandatory SEND training for all teachers and education professionals, and fast-tracking the creation of new state-funded specialist schools to expand capacity.

Currently, more than 60 planned specialist schools remain in limbo due to planning delays, forcing families to either travel long distances or turn to costly private alternatives to access the support their children need.

Claire said council budgets had been “stretched beyond their limits” and placed the blame squarely on the previous Conservative government. She described the current situation as a “broken system” that penalises pupils and parents.

“I have spoken to countless parents who are desperate to see their child get the education they deserve but are sadly being let down by a broken system, which simply is not built to accommodate their needs. This means they miss out on vital learning and development,” she said.

“The previous Conservative government neglected our education system and caused a crisis in special needs provision – failing children, parents and teachers, and stretching council budgets beyond their limits. Now we need to see real, urgent action from Labour ministers.

“Warm words and far off promises just are not good enough. We need a root and branch review of the whole SEND sector, backed up with additional frontline investment, so we can ensure we are supporting pupils and parents instead of penalising them for a failing system.

“This is a national crisis and that is why the Liberal Democrats have launched our new calls to fix the crisis this weekend. I will keep fighting to ensure we address this crisis head on and offer hope to all those who are currently being let down by this government.”

The full motion can be read at the Liberal Democrats website.