SEND Reform Proposals Explained: What They Could Mean for Children, Families and Schools

The government has set out the most significant proposed changes to the special educational needs and disabilities, or SEND, system in England for a decade, through its consultation SEND reform: putting children and young people first, part of the wider Every child achieving and thriving schools white paper.

An important point before anything else: these are proposals, not law. The consultation ran from 23 February to 18 May 2026 and is now closed, with the government analysing responses. The final shape of the reforms will depend on that response and on future legislation, and the timescales are long. So this is a look at the direction of travel, not a description of rules that apply today. We think it is still well worth understanding, because the direction is clear and it will shape how children with additional needs are supported for years to come.

Why the Government Says SEND Reform Is Needed

The consultation makes a blunt case that the current system is failing too many children. It notes that around one in three children have special educational needs at some point in their schooling, and that outcomes have not improved despite a significant rise in high needs funding, which the consultation puts at 87 per cent over six years. It points out that the number of children with Education, Health and Care Plans has doubled since the 2014 reforms, and that a greater proportion of the school population is now educated in special schools than at any point in the past half century. It argues that too many families have to fight for support, and that too many children are educated a long way from their homes and communities.

These are the government's own figures and framing, drawn from the consultation document, and they are worth treating as the stated evidence base for the reforms rather than settled fact. The overall thrust is clear enough: the government wants to move towards one inclusive education system rather than two parallel ones, with support available earlier and without families having to battle for it.

A New Layered System of SEND Support

The proposals describe support arranged in layers above a strengthened Universal offer in mainstream settings. Above that Universal offer would sit Targeted and Targeted Plus support that would, for the first time, be written into law, so that children could access help such as speech and language therapy, small group work or curriculum adaptations without a lengthy statutory assessment. The intention is that children would not have to apply for a statutory plan to get this help, because the support they are entitled to would be set out in law.

Children accessing these layers would have a new digital Individual Support Plan, developed in partnership with parents and designed to evolve as needs change over time. The consultation is explicit that needs are not fixed, and the plan is meant to move with the child rather than freeze a snapshot in place.

Changes to EHCPs and Specialist Support

Education, Health and Care Plans would be retained for children with the most complex needs, but reshaped. The consultation proposes nationally defined, evidence-based Specialist Provision Packages that would set out exactly what interventions, resources and standards should be provided, developed and reviewed by an independent expert panel, and forming the basis of future EHCPs in both mainstream and specialist settings.

Experts at Hand and National Inclusion Standards

A proposed national offer called Experts at Hand would bring professionals such as educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists around mainstream settings, so that expertise reaches children earlier and without a drawn-out process. The consultation also proposes new National Inclusion Standards, setting out for the first time the support that should be available in every mainstream setting, alongside a new duty on schools to produce an Inclusion Strategy, and a stronger role for Ofsted in assessing all settings for inclusion. It also proposes replacing terms such as SEN units and resourced provision with a single description, Inclusion Bases, to make the offer clearer for parents.

How Much the SEND Reforms Could Cost

The consultation sets out significant investment figures, including around 7 billion pounds more to be spent on SEND support compared with 2025-26, roughly 1.6 billion pounds over three years to make mainstream more inclusive, about 1.8 billion pounds for Experts at Hand, and around 3.7 billion pounds to 2030 for buildings and new places. These are proposal figures drawn from the consultation document, and we would treat them as indicative rather than settled until confirmed through the Spending Review process.

SEND Reform Timeline: What Happens and When

The consultation indicates that assessments for the new system would begin in September 2029, with no changes to the support received through existing EHCPs before at least September 2030, and a full transition playing out across the decade. In other words, families with a current plan should not expect sudden change, and there is time for the detail to be worked through.

How Part-Time Alternative Provision Fits the SEND Reforms

The reforms are built around principles we recognise and share: support should be early, it should be local, and it should keep children connected to their communities rather than travelling long distances or being written off. The consultation also envisages the specialist sector, including alternative provision, having a clearer focus on outreach and on supporting mainstream settings, alongside providing for children with the most complex needs.

This is where a part-time, unregistered alternative provision has a distinctive role to play.

Because our provision is part-time, it is designed to sit alongside a child's mainstream education rather than replace it. A child can keep their place, their friendships and their sense of belonging at their home school while receiving intensive, targeted support with us for part of the week. That is a very different model from full-time removal into a separate setting, and it aligns closely with a reform agenda that wants children to remain part of their local mainstream community wherever possible.

Alternative provision is a recognised part of the wider AP landscape in DfE guidance, which expressly includes registered, unregistered and other forms of provision. It is worth noting that the part-time nature of provision like ours is directly linked to its unregistered status, and settings should always check their position against current DfE registration guidance. But the practical point for families and schools is this: part-time AP is built to complement mainstream, not compete with it.

For primary-aged children with complex needs, early and well-targeted help can change a that child's journey. The consultation's whole argument is that intervening early, close to home, and in a way that keeps children included, produces better outcomes than late, distant and separate provision. If the reforms deliver a stronger, earlier, more inclusive offer in mainstream, provision like ours is well placed to work hand in hand with schools, adding capacity and specialist support at the point a child needs it, while always keeping the goal of a confident return to full-time mainstream education in view.

We will keep following the reforms as the government publishes its response, and we will share updates as the picture becomes clearer.

If you have questions about how your child or your school might be affected, or about how part-time support could complement what mainstream provides, do get in touch.

Reach out to us or visit our website to start a conversation - www.ureach-ap.co.uk

Source: SEND reform: putting children and young people first (DfE consultation, published 23 February 2026, closed 18 May 2026). Figures quoted are the government's own stated figures from the consultation document.