23/02/2026
SEND reforms have been published.
It’s important to say from the outset: these are proposals, not changes to the law. But having the full document at last gives us something concrete to work through, and the next 12 weeks of consultation will be crucial.
One of the biggest shifts is the introduction of Individual Support Plans (ISPs) for every child with SEND. For over a million children who currently have no legal entitlement to support, this could be a genuinely significant change. ISPs are intended to give families a clear, enforceable right to personalised help in school.
For children with more complex needs, EHCPs will remain, but with a clearer structure through new “Specialist Provision Packages”. Every child with an EHCP would also have an ISP showing how support is delivered day‑to‑day. Importantly, the government has committed to strong transitional protections, including reassurance that children currently in year 3 or above will not be moved from an EHCP to an ISP unless they choose to, right through to the end of secondary school.
The White Paper also sets out plans to strengthen accountability, update complaints processes, and retain the SEND Tribunal as a vital safeguard for families.
Alongside these structural changes, the proposals focus heavily on improving mainstream inclusion: more training for teachers, clearer national expectations, earlier identification of needs and a stronger emphasis on evidence‑based interventions. These are areas families and professionals have been calling for over many years, and they have real potential to improve support earlier and more consistently.
There are also proposals for local “banks” of specialists, such as SEND teachers, speech and language therapists and other professionals, that schools can access without a child needing an EHCP. In principle, this could be transformative. In practice, it will depend on workforce capacity, which is already stretched.
The expansion of Best Start Family Hubs is another key element, aiming to give families a single place to access a wide range of support, including dedicated SEND outreach.
