On 23 February 2026, the Department for Education published its long-awaited Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, setting out the government's vision for education in England. Special educational needs and disability (SEND) reform is one of its most significant — and most contested — strands. A companion consultation, SEND reform: putting children and young people first, closed on 18 May 2026, and the sector is now watching closely for the government's response.
Below is a summary of what's actually being proposed, the funding and timeline behind it, and — because this remains a genuinely two-sided debate — the case being made for reform alongside the concerns being raised against it.
What's changing
Three pillars of the proposed reform
National Inclusion Standards
A new advisory panel is developing standards that all mainstream schools would be expected to meet, covering early identification of need and genuinely inclusive, everyday teaching — before a formal diagnosis or label is needed.
Individual Support Plans (ISPs)
A new plan for every child with SEND, setting out the day-to-day support their school should provide — intended to sit below EHCP level and formalise support that is currently often informal or inconsistent.
EHCPs: retained, reformed
EHCPs remain, but the government intends to raise the threshold for obtaining one significantly by 2035, with the aim of reducing reliance on plans as earlier mainstream support becomes more consistent.
The investment
What's being funded
The timetable
Three overlapping phases
Phase 1 · 2025/26 – 2026/27
Aligning to best practice
Schools begin moving towards best practice on behaviour, attendance and family engagement, with updated DfE guidance published along the way.
Phase 2 · 2026/27 – 2027/28
Preparing for SEND reform
Investment in specialist staff training begins, alongside an early, voluntary rollout of the National Inclusion Standards ahead of full introduction in 2028.
Phase 3 · from 2028/29
Full implementation
Legislation is expected to come into force from September 2029, subject to Parliamentary approval. No changes to existing EHCP support will take place before September 2030.
A two-sided debate
The case for reform, and the concerns raised against it
Why the government says reform is needed
- Rising EHCP demand has been straining local authority high-needs budgets and creating a system that is often adversarial, diagnosis-led and slow to respond.
- Earlier identification and stronger “ordinary, everyday” inclusive teaching in mainstream schools aims to mean fewer children need to reach crisis point, or a tribunal, before they get help.
- New funding is front-loaded — the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, Experts at Hand and new places are intended to build capacity before any eligibility changes take effect.
- A long lead-in time and stated safeguards (no EHCP changes before September 2030, existing plans protected) are offered as reassurance during the transition.
What charities, unions and families are saying
- Charities and parent groups warn that raising the EHCP threshold and introducing Individual Support Plans (ISPs) in their place could weaken statutory protections and families' rights of appeal.
- The White Paper does not yet define “complex needs” precisely, leaving uncertainty over exactly who will, and won't, continue to qualify for an EHCP.
- Commentators, including the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) — the independent body that scrutinises the government's fiscal plans — have questioned whether the funding announced matches the scale of ambition, against a backdrop of local authorities' existing deficits in their Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), the ring-fenced funding that covers high-needs SEND provision.
- School leaders and unions have raised deliverability concerns, given existing pressure on staffing, SEND expertise and capacity in mainstream settings.
What this means now
For schools and SENCOs, today
Nothing changes overnight — existing EHCPs and SEN support arrangements remain in place, and the government has committed to no changes in EHCP entitlement before September 2030. Phase 1 is already underway, however, and settings that start reviewing their inclusive practice, provision mapping and SENCO capacity now will be far better placed as the National Inclusion Standards and ISPs are phased in.
This is exactly the kind of transition SENDbeacon supports schools, MATs and independent settings through — turning policy change into a practical, achievable plan.
Talk to us about your inclusion planSources
- DfE, ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ Schools White Paper — GOV.UK — published 23 February 2026
- DfE consultation, ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ — GOV.UK — consultation closed 18 May 2026
- House of Commons Library research briefing CBP-10550 — ‘The Schools White Paper 2026: Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Reform’
This article is a general summary for information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Proposals are subject to the government's consultation response and Parliamentary approval, and details may change before implementation.