An inquiry has recommended that the government makes assessments of special education needs more independent from reviews of funding.

At present, local authorities are responsible for both the assessment and funding of SEN, but the Commons education and skills committee is calling for a rethink to increase parental confidence in the process.

The report also highlights the need to provide a greater level of transparency in terms of how SEN funds are spent, calling on the government to detail the amount set aside for special needs in the comprehensive spending review.

Committee chairman Barry Sheerman explained that evidence seen during the inquiry "has demonstrated that assessment of need could be made more independent of funding of provision without introducing a whole new bureaucratic structure, contrary to the government's assertion".

Rather than implementing a "whole new bureaucratic structure", as the government asserted in response to the committee's initial SEN report, the MPs suggested that local authorities or schools could be tasked with commissioning assessments.

Sheerman added: "We were very disappointed in the government's response to our original report on SEN, which seemed to demonstrate an unwillingness to consider alternative ways of addressing vital issues on assessment of need and service provision.

"Children with special educational needs and their families deserved better."

The Commons education and skills committee called for a national framework for SEN. Last year some 1.5 million pupils were found to have some type of SEN requirement.