Publication of the SEND Reforms
Following the publication of the Government’s Schools White Paper: What parents need to know about changes to the SEND system on Monday 23rd February, we appreciate parent carers are likely to have questions and likely some anxieties also. We want to try reassure that nothing will be changing immediately.
In an effort to offer some clarity, the White Paper sets out changes designed to make sure every child, including those with SEND, are getting the right support that they need and deserve. The Paper sets out tiered levels of support to ensure children and young people with additional needs can receive support at three levels, these are: Targeted, Targeted Plus, and Specialist.
Targeted support includes structured help like small group work and sensory support; Targeted Plus provides more specialist input from professionals; and Specialist support offers comprehensive provision for complex needs through a Specialist Provision Package and EHCP, with all support recorded in an Individual Support Plan (ISP).
EHCPs will stay in place for children who need more support than is routinely available in mainstream schools.
Further information can be found on the [Government website: what parents need to know about changes to the SEND system].
SEND Reforms
Alongside the publication of the Schools’ White Paper, the Government has also published proposed changes to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND called SEND Reform: putting children and young people first. These are proposed changes designed to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including early, fair support, with shared accountabilities. The Department for Education (DfE) is now consulting on these proposals until mid-May to inform the legislation required to bring the reforms into effect. The government is encouraging children, young people, families, teachers and leaders, schools and trusts, and other stakeholders to respond.
A number of different formats (including Easy Read, BSL) explaining the proposals and a link to the consultation questions are available on the [GOV.UK website]. The consultation will close at 11:59pm on Monday 18th May 2026.
There has been a significant amount of information about the School’s White Paper and the SEND reform proposals published on the Government website and the WPCC is working through these in an effort to fully assimilate the information.
The WPCC is currently exploring possibilities of offering sessions to parent carers to work through the proposals together and collate responses; please look out for further information on the WPCC website and WPCC newsletters. As always, we will keep you updated, when there is more that we can helpfully share.
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