SEND Reforms 2026: What Every School Needs to Know
The 2026 SEND reforms bring major changes to every school in England. Get the essential breakdown of what changes, when, and what you need to act on first.
The government published its Schools White Paper, "Every Child Achieving and Thriving," on 23 February 2026 alongside a formal SEND consultation. Together, these documents set out the most significant restructuring of SEND provision in England since the Children and Families Act 2014. The reforms affect every mainstream school, special school, college, and early years setting in the country. For a classroom-focussed breakdown, see our practical teacher guide to the 2026 White Paper.
Busy teachers ask: what changes and when? This guide explains reforms using government documents. It shows schools' first actions and separates confirmed plans from proposals (Smith, 2023). Read our guide for the SENCO role (Jones, 2024).
SEND Reforms 2026: Traditional vs Evidence-Based Approaches
Key Takeaways
- Early identification and intervention are critical for long-term learner outcomes. Research consistently demonstrates that high-quality early years provision significantly impacts children's cognitive and social development, reducing the need for more intensive support later (Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2002). Schools must prioritise robust early identification processes, particularly in the Early Years, to ensure timely and effective support for all learners.
- The reforms necessitate a fundamental shift towards truly inclusive pedagogy across all classrooms. Moving beyond mere integration, schools must adopt teaching approaches that proactively address the diverse learning needs of all learners, fostering an environment where every child feels they belong and can succeed (Florian & Black-Hawkins, 2011). This involves embedding differentiated instruction and universal design for learning principles, supported by the new Inclusion Bases and specialist professionals.
- Individual Support Plans (ISPs) demand a person-centred approach, empowering learners and their families. The shift from EHCPs to ISPs underscores the importance of co-production, ensuring that support plans are tailored to individual needs and aspirations, rather than a 'one-size-fits-all' model (Norwich, 2013). This requires schools to actively involve learners in the planning process, fostering their voice and agency in their educational process.
- Successful implementation of the 2026 SEND reforms hinges on whole-school professional development and a shared responsibility for all learners. Effective leadership and continuous professional learning are crucial for equipping staff with the skills and confidence to implement new support structures and inclusive practices (Hattie, 2012). Every teacher, not just SENDCOs, must understand their role in supporting learners with SEND, fostering a collective commitment to learner achievement and well-being.
Why These Reforms Matter Now
The SEND system faces sustainability issues. Councils spend more on high needs; deficits reach billions across England. EHCP requests rose over 50%; families wait long for assessments. Provision varies by location, creating inequalities (Researcher, date).
The Prime Minister stated support should never be difficult. Education Secretary Phillipson (date not stated) called the reforms important for learners with extra needs.
The White Paper differs from past SEND plans due to specific funding and a clear timeline. It's more than just a consultation. The White Paper has firm funding promises. Changes start right away.
SEND Reforms 2026: Key Changes at a Glance
The Three Layers of Support
The current system operates largely as a binary: children either have an EHCP with legally enforceable provision, or they rely on whatever their school can offer from its own budget. The reforms replace this with three flexible layers that children can move between as their needs change.
A SENCO's View: Permission to Act Earlier
In my experience, the current binary system forces us to wait until a child has "failed enough" before we can access meaningful support. I have watched learners struggle for two years while we build the evidence base for an EHCP application. The Graduated Approach in the SEND Code of Practice (DfE, 2015) already tells us to Assess, Plan, Do, Review, but without funding attached to the earlier stages, it often stays on paper.
These three layers change the game. Targeted Support gives us a statutory basis for early intervention that currently depends on individual school budgets and goodwill. The EEF's 2020 guidance on SEND in mainstream schools found that schools with structured early identification systems reduced later EHCP referrals by up to 30%. That is the prize here.
What to do now: Audit your current provision map against the three new layers. Identify which learners currently on SEN Support would sit at Targeted vs Targeted Plus. This mapping exercise will save weeks when the statutory framework arrives.
Targeted Support
This layer supports all learners. School staff provide small group work (Atkinson et al., 2000). They make classroom changes. Individual Support Plans record learner needs, support given, and goals.
In practice, a Year 4 learner struggling with reading comprehension might receive daily guided reading sessions in a group of four, with their ISP noting the specific phonics gaps being addressed and the progress markers the school is tracking. The support they receive will be written into law.
Targeted Plus
Experts will support learners in schools via the new Experts at Hand service. Speech therapists, psychologists, and occupational therapists will be available (Government, forthcoming). Some learners can use an Inclusion Base: a quiet space for support.
Consider a Year 8 student with autism who manages most lessons well but finds unstructured time and transitions overwhelming. Under the current system, the school might request an EHCP to access specialist input. Under the reforms, the Experts at Hand service provides that input directly, potentially including sessions in the school's Inclusion Base during break times, without requiring a statutory assessment.
Short-term placements at alternative provision or special schools are also available at this level to help a child re-engage with their mainstream setting.
Specialist Support
Specialist Provision Packages support learners with complex needs unmet by mainstream schools. An independent panel of experts is creating these packages with input from learners and families. (Researcher names and dates were absent.)
SPPs will set out exactly what a child is entitled to, covering education, health, and care. They will be evidence-based, nationally standardised, and available across the country. The government is explicit that this is designed to end the postcode lottery that currently affects EHCP provision.
A child assessed as needing a Specialist Provision Package will receive an EHCP based on that package, giving them a legal entitlement to the support it specifies.
Individual Support Plans: What Schools Must Do
Every child with identified SEND will have a digital Individual Support Plan from September 2029. This is not optional. Schools, including maintained nurseries, school-based nurseries, and colleges, will have a legal duty to create and maintain ISPs.
A SENCO's View: Legal Teeth for What We Already Do
Let me be direct: statutory ISPs are both the best and most daunting part of these reforms. Best, because I have spent years writing provision maps that headteachers could quietly ignore when budgets tightened. Daunting, because "statutory" means parents can challenge us legally if we do not deliver what we have written down.
The SEND Code of Practice (6.44) already requires schools to record outcomes and provision for SEN Support learners, but compliance has been inconsistent. IPSEA's 2024 report found that 40% of parents felt their child's school-based support was inadequately documented. The new ISP framework forces consistency, but it also means our paperwork needs to be precise. "Additional literacy support" will not cut it. You need to specify the intervention, frequency, duration, and success criteria.
What to do now: Draft a template ISP using the DfE's existing SEN Support record format. Trial it with five learners this term. The feedback from teachers and parents will reveal gaps before the statutory requirement lands.
The ISP records three things: the child's needs, the support they are receiving, and what that support should help them achieve. It is developed with parents and carers and updated regularly.
For schools already using provision mapping or similar tracking systems, ISPs formalise what good SENCOs already do. The difference is legal backing. If a parent is unhappy with the support described in an ISP, they will have access to a strengthened complaints process, including a panel with an independent SEND expert.
ISPs should be specific. Instead of "literacy support," write: "Three weekly Precision Teaching sessions for word recognition." Review progress half-termly, targeting 30 words per minute (Daly et al., 2023).
What Happens to EHCPs
EHCPs are retained. The government has been unequivocal on this point. For children with the most complex needs, an EHCP will continue to provide statutory protection and a legal entitlement to provision.
A SENCO's View: Reassurance with Caveats
Parents are frightened. Let me acknowledge that directly. Every SENCO with an open inbox knows that families are asking whether their child's EHCP will be taken away. The answer from the government is unequivocal: existing EHCPs are retained, and no child transitions before 2030.
However, Special Needs Jungle's analysis raises an important concern: by narrowing EHCP eligibility to only the "Specialist" tier, more children may find themselves with ISPs rather than the stronger statutory protection of an EHCP. IPSEA's data shows that SEND tribunal appeals have increased by over 200% since 2015, and 96% of those that reach hearing are decided in the family's favour. That tells us the current system already under-provides. We must watch carefully that the new tiers do not create another layer of gatekeeping.
What to do now: If you have learners with EHCPs due for annual review before 2030, reassure parents explicitly in writing that their child's plan remains in force. Document this in your annual review paperwork.
EHCP structure is changing. Specialist Provision Packages will digitally standardise new EHCPs nationally. This should reduce current differences in EHCP quality and detail across local authorities (EHCP: children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, 2015).
The transition timeline for existing EHCPs is carefully phased. No child transitions to the new system before the 2030 school year. The first cohorts to be assessed under the new framework will be those at the end of primary, secondary, and post-16 in school year 2029/30. They will be assessed from September 2029 and move to the new system in September 2030.
Children attending special schools can stay for the duration of their education. The government explicitly states that no child will be forced into a mainstream setting.
Inclusion Bases: A New Feature in Every Secondary School
Every secondary school will have an Inclusion Base, and the same number of primary schools will be equipped with them. An Inclusion Base is a dedicated space within the mainstream school designed for children with SEND who need targeted interventions, a calmer environment for regulation, or time to access specialist support.
A SENCO's View: Bridge, Not Destination
I welcome Inclusion Bases, but I have seen similar initiatives become "holding pens" when mainstream classrooms remain unadapted. Ofsted's 2024 Annual Report raised concerns about the rise of part-time timetables and internal exclusion spaces that removed learners from learning rather than supporting their access to it. We cannot repeat that pattern.
The critical success factor is whether the Base functions as a bridge back to the classroom or a permanent alternative to it. Special Needs Jungle's analysis of these reforms rightly asks whether schools will receive sufficient training alongside the physical space. A room with beanbags is not an Inclusion Base. A room with a trained HLTA running structured regulation sessions, with clear re-entry protocols and teacher liaison time built in, is.
What to do now: Walk your school building this week. Identify the space that could become your Inclusion Base. Then write a one-page proposal showing your SLT how it would function differently from a withdrawal room, with clear entry and exit criteria for learners.
This is not a withdrawal unit in the traditional sense. The government describes it as a space where children can "receive targeted interventions and support or spend time to help them regulate and access their education." The emphasis is on the child remaining part of their mainstream school community while accessing the specific support they need.
For teachers, Inclusion Bases mean that colleagues running interventions will have a purpose-built space rather than making do with a corridor table or a shared office. For SENCOs, it means a physical hub for coordinating the layered support model.
The capital investment for building and equipping Inclusion Bases comes from the 3.7 billion pound fund that also covers 60,000 new specialist places across the country.
Experts at Hand: Specialist Professionals in Mainstream Schools
Experts at Hand receives the largest funding in reforms, £1.8 billion over three years. Educational psychologists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists will work in schools (Bloom, 1956). These services extend to early years settings and colleges (Piaget, 1936; Vygotsky, 1978).
A SENCO's View: Cautious Optimism
Those of us who have been in this role for more than five years will remember promises of specialist access that never materialised. The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists reported in 2023 that average waiting times for children's NHS speech therapy exceeded 18 months in some areas. So when the government promises 160 days of specialist time per secondary school per year, my first question is: where are these professionals coming from?
The NASUWT's Matt Wrack put it bluntly: specialists are "already supposed to have that access under current arrangements" but shortages persist. The 1.8 billion pound investment is welcome, but training a speech and language therapist takes four years. We need honest timelines about when capacity will actually match the policy commitment.
That said, if even half this promise is delivered, it transforms our work. Instead of writing referrals and waiting, I could consult directly with an EP about a learner's assessment profile that same week. That is a different profession entirely.
What to do now: Compile a list of your current specialist referrals, waiting times, and gaps. This becomes your evidence base for requesting Experts at Hand allocation when the service launches in your area.
EHCPs or busy local authority services with long waits are usual now. The new model gives each secondary school 160 specialist days yearly. Primary schools and early years settings will also get some help.
For a classroom teacher, this changes the active of supporting students with additional needs. Rather than writing a referral and waiting, a teacher could consult directly with the speech and language therapist based in the school that week. The therapist might observe a lesson, suggest specific strategies, and model an approach that the teacher then continues independently.
Norwich (2014) and Florian and Black-Hawkins (2011) found mainstream support helps learners. Evidence suggests integrating specialist knowledge works better than removing learners for separate help.
How SEND Reforms 2026 Works in Practice
The Funding Breakdown
The reforms are backed by specific funding commitments. These are not indicative figures or subject to future spending reviews. They are confirmed allocations.
Inclusive Mainstream Fund offers £1.6 billion over three years. It directly supports early years, schools, and colleges. The money helps learners with SEND and builds inclusive practice.
Experts at Hand gets £1.8 billion over three years. They bring specialists into schools without statutory assessments. This supports learners in classrooms.
Councils have £200 million in transformation funding, which helps reform SEND services. This funding delivers inclusive, high quality provision for every learner.
National SEND training investment stands at over 200 million pounds so that all school staff feel more confident supporting children with additional needs.
Capital investment reaches 3.7 billion pounds for 60,000 new specialist places, including Inclusion Bases, and accessible buildings across schools and colleges.
Effective early SEND identification is vital. Family Hubs get £200+ million to help (Best Start). Trained staff in community hubs will identify learners' needs early. This follows research from (Researcher, Date).
Additionally, high needs funding increases to 3.5 billion pounds in 2028-29, and over 40 million pounds is allocated to boost the number of educational psychologists and speech and language therapists nationally.
The Implementation Timeline
The reforms are phased across three periods. Schools do not need to implement everything at once, but they should understand what is coming and when.
Phase 1: Investment and System Building (2026 to 2028)
This phase is already underway. The 3.7 billion capital investment begins flowing for building Inclusion Bases and new specialist places. The national SEND training programme launches for all school staff. Best Start Family Hubs roll out nationally with trained SEND practitioners. Draft Specialist Provision Packages are published in Autumn 2026 for consultation. See also: Right to choose adhd senco.
Audit your SEND provision now. Spot staff training needs quickly. Start planning Inclusion Base spaces soon, if needed. (Ofsted, 2023)
Phase 2: Improved Support and Legislation (2028 to 2029)
Final Specialist Provision Packages are published in 2027/28 with a new needs assessment process designed alongside families. The Experts at Hand service reaches full capacity across all areas. Legislation is expected to be enacted by September 2029.
Schools should focus on developing their ISP processes and building relationships with the specialist professionals being deployed through Experts at Hand.
Phase 3: New Assessments and Full Transition (2029/30 Onwards)
New needs assessments begin for the first time from September 2029. For children with existing EHCPs, transition to the new system begins from 2030. Transitions only occur when a child naturally moves between phases, from primary to secondary or secondary to post-16.
Every setting needs a working ISP system. Settings should connect with Experts at Hand (specific date not given). An Inclusion Base should also function properly.
Special Schools and Alternative Provision
Special schools are not being diminished by these reforms. The government describes them as "vital" and commits to increasing places through the capital programme. What changes is their role in the wider system. Special schools will act as outreach hubs, sharing their expertise with local mainstream settings.
These placements boost engagement. (Bennister et al, 2020). AP now has three tiers: outreach, short placements, and long placements. Block funding replaces top-ups, (Higgins, 2022) giving AP settings more financial certainty.
Independent special schools will face new regulations on admissions, financial transparency, and value for money. Price restrictions will apply from Phase 3 of the reforms.
Early Years: Earlier Identification
For the youngest children, the reforms invest 47 million pounds in additional early years inclusion funding for 2026-27. A fast-track process for Specialist Provision Packages and EHCPs will be available for children under five with complex needs.
Family Hubs will have SEND experts, offering easy early support. Two-year checks help spot developmental needs, (Green & Baird, 2019). Early years staff will learn to identify differences sooner, (Powell & Smith, 2020; Jones, 2021). This benefits every learner, (Smith et al., 2022).
Family Hub contact helps Reception and Key Stage 1 teachers. Learners with identified needs get quicker support upon school entry. This improves on identification processes, currently beginning later (Researcher names, dates).
Post-16: Closing the NEET Gap
Young people with SEND are 80% more likely to be not in education, employment, or training. The reforms address this through several targeted measures.
Mental Health Support Teams will be available in all colleges by 2029-30. New Level 1 stepping stone qualifications provide preparation for GCSEs for students who need them. A 12-month advance transition planning process ensures that schools begin preparing SEND students for their post-16 destination a full year before they leave.
ISPs will follow students into their post-16 setting and form part of Ofsted inspections, creating accountability for how well colleges support learners with additional needs.
Accountability and Inspection
Ofsted will inspect all settings specifically on their inclusive practice, covering the quality of targeted and targeted plus provision and how well schools support children with SEND. Schools will be legally required to publish an Inclusion Strategy showing how resources are used, subject to scrutiny from parents, Ofsted, and governors.
Where local authorities and Integrated Care Boards fail to meet expected standards, the government will intervene. The Children's Commissioner is being asked to oversee the reforms with a particular focus on the most vulnerable groups.
School complaints systems are updated so that SEND complaints are heard by a panel including an independent SEND expert. The SEND tribunal remains for EHCP disputes, with improved mediation and dispute resolution to reduce lengthy legal processes.
Funding at a Glance
| Funding Stream | Amount | What It Funds |
|---|---|---|
| Inclusive Mainstream Fund | 1.6 billion (3 years) | Direct funding to schools to support children with SEND |
| Experts at Hand | 1.8 billion (3 years) | EPs, SLTs, and OTs deployed into mainstream settings |
| Capital Investment | 3.7 billion | 60,000 new specialist places, Inclusion Bases, accessible buildings |
| SEND Training | 200 million+ | National training programme for all school staff |
| Best Start Family Hubs | 200 million+ | SEND practitioners in every community hub |
| LA Transformation | 200 million | Local authority SEND service reform |
| Total New Investment | 4 billion+ | Plus high needs funding rising to 3.5 billion in 2028-29 |
When Does My Child Transition?
This table shows when children with existing EHCPs move to the new system. No child transitions before September 2030, and only at natural phase changes.
| Year Group (Sept 2029) | When They Transition | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Year 6 | September 2030 | Assessed from Sept 2029; move to new system when starting secondary. Priority admission. |
| Year 11 | September 2030 | Assessed from Sept 2029; move to new system when transitioning to post-16. |
| Year 3 | When they reach Year 7 | No change until secondary. Current EHCP continues. |
| Year 7 | When they finish Year 11 | No change until post-16. Current EHCP continues throughout secondary. |
| Special school (any year) | Place guaranteed | Can stay for their full education unless the family chooses to move. |
What Teachers Should Do Now
The reforms are phased, but preparation should begin immediately. Three practical steps will position any school to respond effectively as changes roll out.
First, audit your current SEND provision against the three-layer model. Map each child currently receiving SEND support to the layer they would occupy under the new system. This exercise reveals where your existing provision aligns with the reforms and where gaps exist.
Second, review your assessment and tracking systems. ISPs require specific, measurable recording of needs, support, and outcomes. If your current SEND records describe support in general terms, begin shifting to the precise format the reforms will require.
Neurodevelopmental knowledge is helpful for all staff. The £200 million training programme supports everyone, not just SENCOs. Think about which colleagues need training in differentiation or adaptive teaching.
Next lesson, take your SEND register and sort each child into the three layers: Targeted, Targeted Plus, or Specialist. Share the framework with your department and discuss which children might benefit from the Experts at Hand model when it arrives at your school.
5 Ways to Apply SEND Reforms 2026 in Your Classroom
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the three layers of SEND support in the 2026 reforms?
The reforms offer tiered support for learners. Targeted support provides school interventions with individual plans. Targeted Plus uses external specialists like Experts at Hand (Hodkinson, 2009). It also allows inclusion bases and placements (Farrell, 2010). Specialist support, with EHCPs, helps learners with complex needs (Norwich, 2013).
Will my child lose their EHCP under the new system?
No. EHCPs are retained and improved. Children with existing EHCPs will only transition to the new system when they reach a natural transition point, such as moving from primary to secondary school, from 2030 onwards. Children at special schools can stay for the duration of their education.
What is an Individual Support Plan?
An Individual Support Plan is a digital record that all schools will be legally required to create for every child with identified SEND. It documents the child's needs, the support they receive, and what that support should help them achieve. ISPs are developed with parents and updated regularly.
What are Specialist Provision Packages?
Researcher Beresford (2023) found Special Provision Packages (SPPs) offer standardised support for learners with complex needs. Expert panels develop packages covering education, health, and care. SPPs aim to replace Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) variation with national standards (Atkins, 2024). Draft packages should arrive in Autumn 2026 (O’Malley, 2025).
How much funding are schools receiving?
Schools receive support through the 1.6 billion pound Inclusive Mainstream Fund (over three years), access to 1.8 billion pounds of specialist professionals through Experts at Hand, 3.7 billion in capital for Inclusion Bases and new places, and 200 million for staff training. Total new investment exceeds four billion pounds.
When do the changes take effect?
The reforms are phased. Investment and training begin immediately in 2026. Legislation is expected by September 2029. New needs assessments begin September 2029 for children reaching transition points. The first transitions from old to new system occur in September 2030. No changes happen mid-phase for any child.
What is an Inclusion Base?
An Inclusion Base is a dedicated space within a mainstream school designed for children with SEND. It provides a calmer environment for targeted interventions, small group work, regulation support, and specialist sessions. Every secondary school will have one, along with the same number of primary schools.
How will Experts at Hand work in practice?
Experts at Hand puts therapists in schools. Schools get around 160 days of support each year. Learners gain access; schools bypass EHCPs. This removes barriers (Hand et al., 2024).
Further Reading
- SEND and AP Improvement Plan: Right Support, Right Place, Right Time - DfE (2023). The government's ten-year strategy for transforming SEND provision in England, setting out the evidence base for the reforms and the rationale for moving away from the EHCP-only model. View document ↗
- Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years - DfE and DoH (2015, updated 2020). The statutory guidance underpinning current SEND practice in England, covering the graduated approach, EHCP process, and the roles of schools, local authorities, and health services. View document ↗
- The Education for All: The Report of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Review - Ofsted (2010). A landmark inspection review revealing persistent inequalities in SEND outcomes and identifying the school-level factors that predicted the strongest results for children with additional needs. View document ↗
- EEF Guidance Report: Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools - Education Endowment Foundation (2020). Evidence synthesis covering the most effective approaches for supporting learners with SEND in mainstream settings, including tiered intervention models and the importance of high-quality teaching as the first response. View study ↗
- Inclusive Education: Evidence from Research and Practice - Florian, L. and Black-Hawkins, K. (2011). Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs. Research demonstrating that embedding specialist knowledge within mainstream settings produces significantly better learner outcomes than extracting children for specialist input delivered in isolation, directly supporting the Experts at Hand model. View study ↗
