Government Publishes Major SEND Reform Proposals – What This Means for Families

Today the UK Government published its new Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, setting out significant proposed reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system alongside a £4 billion investment package.

This represents one of the most substantial policy shifts in SEND in over a decade.

For many families across East London and Essex, this announcement will bring a mixture of hope, caution, and understandable questions.

The full White Paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving

At its centre, the Government is proposing to:

• Provide earlier SEND support in mainstream schools, without families having to fight for an EHCP before help begins

• Introduce a new “Experts at Hand” service, giving schools access to educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and other specialists

• Establish National Inclusion Standards to reduce postcode lottery

• Update the SEND Code of Practice

• Train every teacher to better support children with additional needs

• Create 60,000 additional specialist places

The stated ambition is clear: to end the “one size fits all” system and reduce the need for parents to battle the system before support is provided. For families who have felt exhausted, unheard or forced into tribunal processes just to secure basic provision, the recognition of these challenges is significant.

Our CEO, Dr Daniel Ruscoe, said:

“I welcome this once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform SEND provision. For too long, we have known that the current system is not consistently meeting even some of the most basic needs of children and young people with SEND. Families across our region have told us this repeatedly.”

“I recognise the immense challenges facing government and schools, particularly in a climate of stretched budgets and increasing demand, but I recognise even more deeply the daily challenges faced by our children, parents and carers. The postcode lottery of support, the inconsistency in standards, and the exhausting battle families often endure simply to be heard, let alone to secure the provision their child is legally entitled to, have become far too common.”

“Many of our families have fought for years just to obtain an EHCP, often navigating tribunals, solicitors and court processes. It is completely understandable that some will feel anxious or fearful about further change, worried that reforms could result in a watered-down system that places even greater pressure on schools who themselves often acknowledge they lack the resources, expertise and funding required. However, we must remain cautiously optimistic and engage in this process. Reform is necessary. The current system is not sustainable for families, schools or local authorities.”

“My hope and expectation is that this consultation will be genuinely service-user led. The voices and lived experiences of families, carers, schools, professionals and charities supporting these communities every day must not only be heard but also actively shape the outcome. Reform cannot be done to families. It must be done with them.”

“At the CFDN, we will continue to advocate locally and nationally to ensure that the experiences of our members influence policy decisions. This is a critical moment for families of children with SEND, and their insight is not optional — it is essential.”

The White Paper proposes a new three-stage model of SEND support designed to provide help earlier and more consistently. The first stage, described as Targeted support, would allow schools to put in place structured interventions at the earliest signs of additional need, without requiring a statutory plan. The second stage, referred to as Targeted Plus, would involve more intensive input and access to specialist professionals such as educational psychologists, speech and language therapists or occupational therapists, coordinated locally and available even without an EHCP. The third stage, Specialist support, would continue to include Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for children with the most complex needs, underpinned by nationally defined “Specialist Provision Packages” intended to bring greater consistency across local authorities. While this model aims to reduce delay and improve early intervention, families will understandably want clarity on how each stage will be accessed, how provision will be enforced, and how statutory protections will operate within the new framework.

What Could Be Positive About the SEND Reform?

The current SEND system has been under significant strain for several years. Rising numbers of children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), increasing tribunal appeals, and growing local authority high-needs deficits have created a system that many professionals describe as financially unsustainable and emotionally exhausting for families. In some areas, over 90% of tribunal cases are found in favour of parents, highlighting systemic weaknesses in early identification and decision-making.

The Government’s reforms sit within this context: an attempt to move support earlier, reduce escalation to statutory plans, and stabilise local authority finances. However, the success of this approach will depend heavily on how well early-stage support is delivered in practice.

If delivered properly, these reforms could mean:

• Earlier intervention without needing an EHCP first broken down through the 3 phases

• More consistent standards across boroughs

• Specialist expertise available locally to act proactively with earlier intervention.

• Better-trained mainstream teachers in SEND

• Reduced delays in identifying and supporting needs

For many children, particularly those with speech, communication, learning or neurodevelopmental needs, early targeted support could prevent crisis escalation later and will reduce the pressure, stress and frustration felt by many families who are often at breaking point.

What Questions Remain?

While the investment and ambition are welcome, families will rightly want clarity on several areas.

1. What happens to EHCP rights? The White Paper confirms that EHCPs will remain for children requiring specialist provision. However, families will want reassurance that access to statutory protection and appeal rights will not be weakened in practice.

   
   

2. How enforceable will new “Individual Support Plans” be? Schools will be expected to develop support plans for children receiving targeted support. Families will understandably ask: what happens if the plan is inadequate or not delivered?

   
   

3. Workforce capacity: Expanding access to specialists is positive, but educational psychologists, speech therapists and occupational therapists are already in short supply nationally. The key question is whether workforce growth can match ambition.

   
   

4. Transition into adulthood: The focus of the White Paper is primarily on schooling. Families of older teenagers and young adults will want to see clear detail on how these reforms strengthen transition into adult services, employment and further education.

   
   

5. Implementation timeline: Full implementation is phased over several academic years. Families navigating the system now will need clarity on what changes immediately and what will take time.

   These are not reasons for alarm, but they are areas where constructive scrutiny and family voice are essential.

   
   

6. Health and Social Care Integration: A key question remains around the integration of education, health and social care. While the White Paper references Integrated Care Boards commissioning specialist services locally, families will want reassurance that health therapies are not only “available in principle” but delivered in a timely and enforceable way. Historically, health provision has been one of the weakest elements of EHCP delivery. Reform must ensure that multi-agency accountability is strengthened, not diluted.

This Is a Proposal Stage – Your Voice Matters

Importantly, these reforms are currently at the proposal stage. Further consultation and implementation detail will follow. In practical terms, families may notice a shift in how support conversations begin. Rather than immediately discussing whether a child “needs an EHCP”, schools may first introduce structured Targeted or Targeted Plus support plans. The intention is that needs are met earlier without lengthy statutory assessment processes. However, families will need clarity on how long a child can remain within these earlier stages, what evidence triggers escalation to specialist support, and how disagreements will be resolved if parents believe provision is insufficient.

This is a crucial moment for families, carers and young people to share lived experience.

For too long, SEND reform has been shaped around systems rather than families. This consultation period is an opportunity to ensure that:

• Rights are protected

• Early support is genuinely accessible

• Accountability mechanisms are robust

• Health, education and social care are properly joined up

• No family is left without recourse when provision fails

At CFDN, we strongly encourage families to engage with the consultation process when it opens formally. Your lived experience carries weight.

What Happens Next?

Over the coming days, I will publish a more detailed breakdown of the White Paper proposals, including:

1. What this means for EHCP processes

2. How the new three-tier support model may operate

3. What families should watch for

4. Practical guidance on preparing to respond to consultation

As always, the CFDN will continue to advocate for families locally and nationally, monitor how these reforms are implemented across our boroughs and ensure that disabled children and their carers are not sidelined in policy decisions.

This is a significant moment in SEND policy. With the right safeguards and family input, it has the potential to improve early support and consistency. Without strong scrutiny, however, important rights and protections could be diluted. My hope is that we will approach this with optimism, realism and vigilance together.

Ultimately, this White Paper represents both opportunity and uncertainty. It recognises many of the systemic failures families have described for years. It promises earlier intervention and greater consistency. Yet the detail of implementation, enforcement and safeguarding of rights will determine whether this becomes transformative reform or administrative restructuring. The consultation period will therefore be pivotal.

If you have questions or concerns about how this may affect your child, please contact our advocacy team.