The government is to review the provision and funding of special needs education for children in England, after the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, admitted that many families faced struggles as a result of the government’s reforms.

The introduction of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) in 2014 was followed by a steep increase in the number of children and young people with special needs and disabilities (Send) in England, with local authorities and schools complaining of funding shortages, and families of long delays in receiving diagnoses and support.

 “Our reforms in 2014 gave vital support to more children but we know there have been problems in delivering the changes that we all want to see. So it’s the right time to take stock of our system and make sure the excellence we want to see as a result of our changes is the norm for every child and their families,” Williamson said in announcing the review.

Last week the government said that special needs education in England would receive an extra £700m from next year, which Williamson said was “to make sure these children can access the education that is right for them”.                                                

The Department for Education (DfE) said the review would look at how support had “evolved” since 2014, and tackle the lottery of provision that sees children in one area receiving less than children with the same needs in another area. It will also look at balancing provision across mainstream and specialist schools, and how support is linked across health, care and education services.

About 1.3 million school-age pupils in England are classed as having special educational needs – 15% of the pupil population, according to DfE figures – while the number with EHCPs has risen from 271,000 to more than 350,000 this year.

A funding shortfall for children with special educational needs has led to a surge in court appeals, as families turn to legal action to secure extra help from cash-strapped councils.

With a 26% rise in the last financial year in the number of court appeals by families, MPs are warning of a crisis in special needs care. It is the third successive year that an increase has been recorded. The total of 6,374 appeals lodged in 2018-19 was almost double the number of three years earlier, according to analysis by the Special Needs Jungle website.

The increase in legal action comes amid what insiders describe as a perfect storm hitting provision for special educational needs and disabilities (Send). Schools are struggling to meet the extra costs. That is heaping further pressure on councils, which have a legal obligation to provide care for children that require it. That in turn has led more families to the courts to fight for resources for their children.

A backlog of cases is growing, and more judges are being recruited to deal with the workload. And after almost a decade of funding cuts to local authorities, families are now challenging the government at the high court over its funding for Send.