What are the proposed SEND reforms?
The reforms aim to make the SEND system earlier, more accessible and more consistent so children get the right support without long waits or complex processes.
A new graduated support model with Targeted, Targeted Plus and Specialist support will help ensure needs are identified and supported earlier in mainstream settings.
A strong universal offer based on high quality teaching and inclusive practice will help schools support a wider range of needs. This will be backed by better training, improved facilities and access to specialists such as speech and language therapists and educational psychologists.
Children with additional needs will receive digital Individual Support Plans (ISPs) developed with parents which set out the support they receive day to day.
Children with the most complex needs will continue to receive Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) linked to new Specialist Provision Packages, helping ensure more consistent support across the country.
The aim is that support which currently often requires an EHCP will increasingly be available routinely in schools, without families needing to pursue lengthy statutory assessments.
Why does the SEND system need reform?
There is now wide agreement across the system among schools, local authorities and families that the current SEND system is broken. Too many children wait too long for help and too many families are forced into lengthy and stressful processes simply to secure the support their child needs.
EHCPs were originally designed for children with the most complex needs. Over time they have increasingly become the main route through which support is secured, with families often feeling they must pursue an EHCP simply to access help that should be available earlier through schools.
The scale of the problem is clear. Only around 46 percent of EHCPs were completed within the legal twenty week timeframe in 2025, leaving many families waiting months or even years for support.
These reforms aim to ensure support is available earlier and more reliably, including quicker access to specialist expertise through the Experts at Hand service, so families no longer have to fight the system to get help.
The reforms also place a stronger focus on inclusive practice in schools, helping classrooms support a wider range of needs and improving learning for all pupils.
Will children lose their current EHCP?
EHCPs will remain the statutory plan for children with the most complex needs.
SEND reforms are expected to be introduced gradually later in the decade, with a new needs assessment process and Specialist Provision Packages expected to begin for new assessments from around 2029.
Children who already have an EHCP would not automatically lose it. Any transition to the new system would happen gradually and usually at natural transition points, such as moving from primary to secondary school.
At those points, a review would consider whether a child continues to require an EHCP linked to specialist provision or whether their needs could be met through other support such as an Individual Support Plan within mainstream provision.
Children attending special schools will not be required to leave their placement as part of these reforms.
Will these reforms weaken children’s rights?
Many families are understandably asking how the reforms will affect the rights currently set out in Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
EHCPs will remain the statutory plan for children with the most complex needs, ensuring those legal protections continue.
For children who need additional support but do not require an EHCP, schools will have a statutory duty to create, maintain and follow Individual Support Plans (ISPs) which set out the support a child receives day to day. These plans will sit within new national SEND standards.
The aim is to ensure children can access support earlier and more consistently through schools, including quicker access to specialist expertise.
Will mainstream schools be expected to meet all needs?
No. The reforms aim to strengthen support in mainstream schools where appropriate, while recognising that special schools and specialist provision remain an essential part of the system.
Inclusion should mean the right support in the right setting for each child.
Alongside improved support in mainstream schools, the reforms include capital investment to create inclusion spaces, specialist units and specialist places, helping ensure children can be supported in the setting that best meets their needs.
Schools will also have access to the Experts at Hand service, providing quicker access to specialists such as educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists without the need for lengthy statutory assessments.
What support will be available for children who do not have an EHCP?
Every child with additional needs will have a digital Individual Support Plan (ISP) which sets out their needs, the support they will receive and the outcomes that support is designed to achieve.
Schools will also be able to draw on the Experts at Hand service, providing quicker access to specialist advice and multi-agency support.
Children may also receive targeted support such as small group interventions, specialist advice and access to inclusion bases or specialist units within mainstream schools.
Is an ISP the same as an EHCP?
No. An EHCP is a statutory plan used for children with the most complex needs and sets out the support a local authority must secure.
An Individual Support Plan (ISP) will be used for children who need additional support but do not require an EHCP. Schools will be legally required to create, maintain and follow these plans, which set out the support a child receives day to day and can be updated more easily as needs change.
What will these reforms mean for teachers and school staff?
Teachers already work incredibly hard to support pupils with additional needs, often without the specialist support they need. The reforms aim to strengthen the support around schools.
Schools will have clearer national standards for SEND support, expanded training for staff and access to specialist advice through the Experts at Hand service.
Individual Support Plans will also provide a clearer and more consistent way to record and coordinate the support pupils receive.
What support will schools receive to deliver these reforms?
Schools will receive significant investment and practical support to help deliver a more inclusive system. Schools want to support children with additional needs, but too often they have not had the specialist expertise, facilities or capacity to do this consistently. These reforms aim to strengthen that support around schools.
This includes:
- £1.6 billion through the Inclusive Mainstream Fund
- £3.7 billion of capital investment to create inclusion spaces, specialist units and additional specialist places
- over £200 million for national SEND workforce training
Schools will also publish a legally backed Inclusion Strategy, setting out how they will identify barriers to learning and support pupils with additional needs.
Schools will also be able to access specialist advice through the Experts at Hand service, and a new digital system will help improve communication with families and reduce administrative burdens.
