£4bn overhaul to transform SEND support in England

Teacher helping two young girls with learning in classroom

£4bn overhaul to transform SEND support in England

The Government has announced a sweeping £4 billion reform of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in England, marking the most significant change in a decade. The overhaul, unveiled in the Schools White Paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving, aims to simplify support, reduce bureaucracy, and ensure that children with additional needs receive timely and effective help. However, the reforms also mean that hundreds of thousands fewer children will qualify for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), shifting the focus toward a new system of Individual Support Plans (ISPs).

A new framework for SEND support

Under the new proposals, only children with the most severe or complex needs—such as lifelong learning disabilities, significant behavioural challenges, or physical impairments—will be eligible for EHCPs. These plans will continue to provide legally enforceable entitlements to the specialist support that early years settings or schools cannot routinely offer.

For the majority of children with additional needs, the government will introduce Individual Support Plans (ISPs). These will be less formal than EHCPs and agreed directly between families, early years settings and schools. ISPs will outline tailored interventions, such as access to educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, or other specialists. The Department for Education (DfE) has stated that ISPs will be “easily available, without a fight,” addressing long-standing concerns about the problems in the current system.

There will also be a statutory duty on educators to record, and monitor SEND provision through ISPs. This will be supported by a new £1.6 billion Inclusive Maintenance Fund over three years.

The Government has said it will work with PVI settings, including childminders, to understand how ISPs will work in their settings.

Experts at Hand: A new local support network

A key feature of the reform is the creation of the £1.8 billion Experts at Hand service. This initiative will bring together multidisciplinary teams of professionals—including speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, and other specialists—available to every local area. Schools and early years settings will be able to access these experts regardless of whether a child has an EHCP, ensuring that specialist advice is more readily available across the education system.

A new appeals process and greater local control

Parents who believe their child has been unfairly denied an EHCP will still be able to appeal to a tribunal. However, tribunals will no longer have the power to direct local authorities to place a child in a specific school. This change gives councils greater control over placements and is intended to ensure a more consistent approach.

For ISPs, the appeals process will differ. Parents dissatisfied with their child’s support plan will first appeal to the setting. If unresolved, they can escalate the issue to the local authority or the DfE. Unlike EHCP disputes, ISP cases will not go to tribunal, though mediation will be encouraged to resolve disagreements.

Long-term vision

The government has pledged an additional £4 billion to implement the new SEND system. This investment will fund the Inclusive Maintenance Fund, the Experts at Hand service, and the development of new training and monitoring systems. While the reforms are not expected to close the funding gap in the short term, officials believe they will create a more sustainable model over the next decade.

Children currently in Year 2 or below with EHCPs will be reassessed under the new criteria when they transition to secondary school. This could result in thousands of plans being withdrawn if children no longer meet the stricter eligibility requirements.

Reaction

While the reforms promise a more inclusive and accessible system, some parents fear that reducing EHCP eligibility could leave children without the legal protections they currently rely on. Others worry that early years settings and schools, already under pressure, may struggle to deliver the expanded responsibilities that ISPs entail.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP described the reforms as a turning point for SEND provision. “The system designed ten years ago for a small number of children is now broken,” she said. “Parents end up fighting tooth and nail for entitlements on paper that don’t see them getting additional support. Today’s plans will take children with SEND from sidelined and excluded to seen, heard, and included.”

Sector organisations have cautiously welcomed the proposals. Dingley’s Promise praised the recognition of early years education as a critical stage in a child’s development, calling the reforms “the beginning of positive changes which help every child with SEND to thrive.” The Early Years Alliance (EYA) also supported the focus on early intervention but urged the government to ensure that early educators are fully included in the reform process. “All too often, discussions around SEND reform are centred around school provision,” the EYA said. “This has to change.”

The government’s consultation on the proposals is now open, with legislation expected in the next parliamentary session beginning in May. The first assessments under the new system are scheduled for 2029.

£4bn overhaul to transform SEND support in England