The Government has published its proposals for reform of the SEND system. Their proposals have been set out in a consultation paper called “Every child achieving and thriving”.
The consultation is open until 11:59pm on 18 May 2026.
I will make a submission to the consultation, but I have said that I will only do so with the support of parents and carers of children and young people with SEND.
This page is a collection of resources that will help you draft your own response to the consultation, which I hope that you will submit to me via the link in the sidebar.
First I thought it would be helpful to set out where I am coming from when it comes to SEND.
I want all children with SEND to achieve their full potential, and to live happy and fulfilled adult lives in the future. Families of children with SEND needs know the system is under real strain and I see the anguish that many parents go through trying to get the best for their children when I meet them in my surgeries and around the constituency.
I welcome the focus in the Government’s proposals on earlier intervention, investment for more speech and language therapists and evidence-led packages.
However, there is still little clarity on what the Government's SEND reforms will actually mean for children. For example, there are no clear explanations of who qualifies for which tier/package, what support will be provided, what outcomes are expected, or what funding will follow the child.
Ministers have also repeatedly failed to clarify whether any existing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) will be removed from children as part of these reforms. Parents deserve clear answers as to whether their children's rights will be protected going forward.
There are also serious questions around funding. The Government announced in November last year that it would bring the cost of SEND provision into central government spending from 2028-29. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said at the time that the Government had not set out any specific plans on how this additional cost, which it estimates at £6 billion, would be covered.
What we do know is that a £2bn black hole for 2028-29 still remains and cuts are coming to mainstream schools.
This is set out in Neil O’Brien’s article on the Government’s proposals. Neil is worth listening to as a parent of a child who has received support from a SENCO. You can read that article here: https://www.neilobrien.co.uk/p/the-send-white-paper-asking-mps-to
You can also read the Conservative response to the proposals here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-02-23/debates/363710CB-0877-495B-BADF-D49781276F81/SchoolsWhitePaperEveryChildAchievingAndThriving#contribution-CFF8E14A-B2B2-4E03-9F29-797E16C8C576
At the bottom of this page are the Government’s resources for everyone involved in the SEND system. I hope I have labelled them clearly for everyone to easily access.
The Government's consultation page with its proposed changes can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first
