What Do the New SEND Reforms Really Mean?

Last week, the government announced major changes to the SEND system in England which has major implications for all schools and many families in England.

Here’s a clear breakdown of what’s changing and what it could mean in practice.

What is SEND?

SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and as of 2025, it's estimated that more than 1.7 million pupils in England are identified as having some form of SEND. These children may learn differently from their peers and often need adjustments, specialist input, or additional support to fully access their education.

This might include:

• Speech and language therapy

• Small-group or one-to-one support

• Adapted teaching approaches

• Specialist placements

  
  

What's changing?

The government is proposing a new SEND framework designed to make support more consistent and accessible. The key changes include:

New Individual Support Plans (ISP)

Under the government proposals, pupils identified as needing SEND support would receive a new Individual Support Plan (ISP).

ISPs would:

• Be designed and managed by schools

• Set out the support your child needs

• Be reviewed regularly

• Involve parents and carers in the process

  
  

Schools would have a legal duty to put the support in the ISP in place.

For many families, this plan would replace the need for an EHCP.

EHCPs will be reserved for students with the most complex needs

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) would still exist — but they would be reserved for children with the most complex needs who require specialist or multi-agency support.

The idea behind this change is to ensure that:

• More support is available earlier

• Schools can act without families needing to go through lengthy assessment processes

• Specialist plans are focused on those with the highest level of need

However, some parent groups have raised concerns about how this will affect legal protections currently attached to EHCPs.

Schools will be given more funding for SEND

The government has pledged around £4 billion towards SEND reforms.

Some of this funding is intended to:

• Increase specialist expertise in mainstream schools

• Improve early intervention

• Expand access to therapies and targeted support

• Make schools more inclusive overall

In theory, this should make it easier for children to get help without long waits.

There won't be any immediate changes to existing EHCPs

If your child already has an EHCP, there will be no immediate removal of support.

Reviews of existing EHCPs are expected to begin around 2029–30, and any transition would happen gradually. Children already in specialist placements are expected to retain appropriate support.

Why are some parents still concerned?

While the reforms aim to improve early support, some concerns raised by parent groups include:

• Whether ISPs will offer the same level of legal protection as EHCPs

• How appeal rights might change

• Whether schools will have enough trained staff to deliver the new system

• How “complex needs” will be defined

  
  

As with any large reform these changes are part of an ongoing consultation, meaning that the proposed changes could be altered later down the line depending on the feedback the government gets .

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