活动人士敦促英国首相重新考虑特殊教育改革

以广播员克里斯·帕克汉姆为首的活动人士联合致函英国首相安迪·伯纳姆，呼吁政府重新评估特殊教育需求（Send）改革方案。1这些改革计划将用由学校管理、不受独立法律上诉约束的个人支持计划（ISPs）取代具有法律效力的教育、卫生和护理计划（EHCPs）。1活动人士认为此举将不公平地削弱残障儿童的法律保护。1

信件由包括演员莎莉·菲利普斯、临床心理学家西蒙·巴伦-科恩和《卫报》专栏作家约翰·哈里斯在内的36名签署人联署。1这些改革是斯塔默政府今年宣布的措施，旨在减少具有法律效力的EHCPs数量并长期节省成本，背景是英格兰地方议会面临两年内660亿英镑的财政赤字压力。1活动人士敦促政府保留现有的EHCP法律阈值、允许家长向仲裁庭提出上诉、并废除ISPs的评估制度。1

不过，教育大臣露西·鲍威尔和首相伯纳姆预计只会对前任教育大臣菲利普森的提议进行小幅修改，而非活动人士要求的全面改变。1此外，大量家长正在新制度生效前争取EHCPs法律保护，这可能会削弱改革的预期节省效果。1

A coalition of activists led by broadcaster Chris Packham has written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging him to reconsider the government's proposed reforms to special education provision 1. The campaigners argue that the changes would unfairly weaken legal protections for disabled children 1.

The reforms, announced this year by the Starmer government, aim to reduce the number of legally binding Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and generate long-term cost savings 1. Under the new system, these would be replaced by Individual Support Plans (ISPs) managed by schools rather than local authorities and without access to independent legal appeal processes 1. However, the campaigners are urging the government to retain existing legal thresholds for EHCPs, preserve parents' right to appeal to tribunals, and scrap the assessment regime for ISPs 1.

The letter, signed by 36 individuals including actor Sally Phillips, clinical psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen, and Guardian columnist John Harris, reflects growing concern about the impact of the proposed changes 1. The reforms are being driven partly by fiscal pressures, with English local councils facing a £66 billion budget deficit over two years 1. Recent reporting revealed that ahead of the new system's implementation, large numbers of parents are now pursuing EHCP legal protections—a trend that could undermine the expected cost savings from the reforms 1. Education Secretary Lucy Powell and Prime Minister Burnham are expected to make only modest modifications to the proposals rather than the comprehensive overhaul that campaigners are demanding 1.