The Schools White Paper 2026: Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Reform

The schools white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, was published on 23 February 2026. The white paper included major reforms to the system of support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England.

Alongside the white paper, a consultation on the SEND proposals, SEND reform: putting children and young people first, was also published. The consultation is open until 18 May 2026.

The government’s announcement of the SEND reform plans described the proposals as a “radical expansion” of rights for children with SEND.

A separate Library briefing will be published on the other measures in the white paper.

Pressures on the SEND system

In recent years, there have been increasing concerns about how the system of support for children and young people with SEND is functioning.

The existing system of support was introduced in 2014. It offers support for children and young people at different levels, within their educational setting and, for those with the most severe needs, through formal education, health and care plans (EHCPs).

Over the last decade, the number of children and young people with EHCPs has risen sharply, as have financial pressures on local authorities (which include educational provision and related costs such as transport). This has taken place alongside struggles for parents to obtain support for their children, with a rising number of cases successfully taken to tribunal.

A series of reports have identified problems across the system and advocated major reform, including the Commons Education Committee report, Solving the SEND Crisis, published in September 2025.

White paper proposals

The white paper makes a series of proposals to reform the SEND system, including:

• shifting the emphasis of SEND support towards greater inclusion in mainstream settings
• introducing a new tiered approach to support: universal, targeted, targeted plus, and specialist
• ensuring all schools and other educational settings create digital Individual Support Plans for any child or young person with identified SEND
• increasing specialist support for schools
• changing the law on independent special schools to ensure that local authorities pay a reasonable price for placements

The proposals stand alongside related government announcements in recent months, including that all local authorities with SEND deficits will receive a grant covering 90% of their high-needs deficit up to the end of 2025/26.

Implementation

The proposed reformed system of support for SEND would require legislative change. This is not expected to come into effect until September 2029. Until then, the current system would remain in place.

No changes to support received through education, health and care plans (EHCPs) would take place before at least September 2030.

In the meantime, wider support and funding for schools would be introduced to prepare for a reformed system.