Ministers have announced a 'generational' overhaul of special educational needs and disabilities (Send) support in England, pledging £4bn to transform provision. The changes, described as a key policy moment for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, aim to address long-standing failures in the system.
Writing in the Guardian, Phillipson said the reforms would deliver 'improved support, not removed support', and represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to define the future of education. The investment includes tailored specialist support in all mainstream schools and 60,000 additional special needs school places.
Under the plans, schools will receive extra funding for specialised support, but stricter criteria will apply for education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which will be reserved for children with the most severe needs. New plans for lower-tier needs will still confer legal rights, though parents will no longer have a free choice of school and will instead be given a list of options, with appeals allowed.
Prime Minister Starmer, citing his late brother Nick's struggles with learning difficulties, said getting the right support 'should never be a battle – it should be a given'. He emphasised that families will receive tailored support built around their child's individual needs, available locally.
Councils face new obligations to meet legal duties, with warnings they could lose control of Send services if they fail. Currently, more than half of EHCPs are issued outside the 20-week legal deadline. The white paper proposes £1.6bn in direct funding over three years for early years settings, schools and colleges, to be spent on provisions such as small-group language support.
