'Education for All' Bill announced in the King’s Speech 2026

Following our recent article analysing the proposed SEND Reforms, the policy direction has now been substantially confirmed and expanded in the King’s Speech 2026, which announced the forthcoming 'Education for All' Bill. This represents the Government’s next legislative step in moving from consultation into system-wide reform of SEND provision in England.

The King’s Speech 2026 confirmed that the Bill is intended to “raise standards in schools and introduce generational reforms of the special educational needs system”, with a clear shift towards a more inclusive, mainstream-led model of support.

From consultation to legislation: key direction of travel

The Bill will closely track the principles set out in the White Paper consultation. The legislation is expected to introduce a system designed around five core reform principles: early, local, fair, effective and shared support.

In practical terms, the Bill (expected to be introduced to Parliament imminently) signals a decisive move away from EHCP-led escalation as the primary route to support, towards universalised early identification and structured in-school intervention, underpinned by statutory duties.

Key legislative proposals now confirmed

The Bill ('Education for All' Bill) is expected to introduce the following structural reforms:

Statutory individual support plans for all children and young people with SEND, intended to replace reliance on EHCPs for lower-level and emerging needs.
National Inclusion Standards, setting a baseline expectation for identification, intervention and inclusive practice across all early years settings, schools and colleges.
A strengthened training duty via the SEND Code of Practice, requiring staff in every nursery, school and college receive training in SEND and inclusion (this will be supported by significant central investment).
Mainstream inclusion reforms, including new requirements on settings to publish Inclusion Strategies and demonstrate cohort-level planning to remove barriers to education, and hold settings to account on strengthening inclusive practice.
Funding reform and requiring schools to pool a portion of their funding for SEND, intended to reduce local variation and address perceived “postcode lottery” effects.
A move towards standardised EHCP templates and revised review cycles, alongside reforms to the SEND Tribunal system.
Introduction of Specialist Provision Packages and expanded specialist support accessible within mainstream settings.

System redesign: mainstream-first, specialist-supported

A central feature of the Bill will be the planned recalibration of the relationship between mainstream and specialist provision. Rather than seeing specialist placements as the default escalation route, the policy framework assumes:

earlier intervention within mainstream settings,
supported by embedded specialist services (“Experts at Hand”), and
targeted specialist provision for the most complex needs.

This is reinforced by significant investment commitments, including multi-billion-pound capital and workforce funding to expand specialist places, accessibility adaptations and in-school support services.

Transitional safeguards

Notably, the Government has confirmed a “triple lock” transitional approach, including assurances that:

no child will lose existing support during transition,
pupils in specialist placements as of September 2029 will be able to remain in them until the end of education, and
changes will be phased rather than immediate system replacement.

Implications for schools and providers

For schools, early years providers and colleges, the direction of travel is clear: the legal and operational burden of SEND identification and support is expected to shift further into the mainstream statutory duty framework, with increased expectations around:

internal capacity and training
evidencing inclusive practice through published strategies
and early, structured intervention without reliance on EHCP process.

At the same time, the proposed reforms to funding, tribunal processes and EHCP structure suggest a significant recalibration of parental escalation routes and local authority decision-making frameworks.

Where this leaves the White Paper consultation

The consultation stage described in VWV’s earlier article now appears to have functioned as a precursor to a more definitive legislative package. While details remain subject to Parliamentary scrutiny and further drafting, the direction of travel is consistent: a single, more standardised and inclusion-focused SEND system, anchored in mainstream provision with strengthened national oversight.