Tracker: SEND reforms (schools white paper and consultation)

Status: Proposed
Likely route: Legislation plus updated SEND Code of Practice / supporting guidance
Earliest timing: Publication during phase one; legal embedding from September 2029.

What is proposed

The Government proposes new National Inclusion Standards to set evidence-based national expectations for inclusive practice. Settings would be required to use them to plan support for their cohorts, and they are intended to sit at the heart of accountability and inclusion across the system.

What may change in law / guidance

The consultation says legislation will introduce requirements for settings to use the National Inclusion Standards and that the SEND Code of Practice will be updated after legislation.

Status: Proposed
Likely route: Primary legislation and updated SEND Code of Practice
Earliest timing: September 2029 under the current implementation timetable. 

What is proposed

For children and young people receiving Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support, schools and colleges would have a legal duty to produce a digital Individual Support Plan. The consultation says ISPs would include identified barriers to learning, provision, reasonable adjustments and intended outcomes, would be developed with parents, and would be reviewed at least annually. It also says settings, rather than local authorities, would be accountable for delivering educational provision through the ISP.

What may change in law / guidance

This is one of the clearest proposed statutory changes in the consultation. Primary legislation is expected to introduce ISP duties with the updated SEND Code of Practice expected to set out the practical framework. 

Status: Proposed
Likely route: Legislation plus guidance
Earliest timing: Draft package information is expected from autumn 2026, final packages during 2027-2028, with operational use from 2029/30. 

What is proposed

The Government proposes nationally defined Specialist Provision Packages for children and young people with the most complex needs. These would specify interventions, standards and resources and would form the basis of the statutory educational entitlement within an EHCP. The overall policy direction is that more children would be supported through strengthened universal and targeted provision, with EHCPs reserved for those who meet the threshold for Specialist support.

What may change in law / guidance

This points to legislation amending how statutory SEND entitlements are framed, followed by guidance on package design and delivery. 

Status: Proposed update
Likely route: Full consultation on revised statutory guidance
Earliest timing: After SEND legislation.

What is proposed

The Government says it will update the SEND Code of Practice after legislation, consult widely on the changes, clarify responsibilities, place stronger emphasis on evidence-based support, and promote inclusion. It also says it will review and update related guidance to make the Code easier to use. 

Status: Proposed new guidance
Likely route: Guidance, not necessarily primary legislation
Earliest timing: Phase one / before full implementation.

What is proposed

The Government says it will publish new guidance on reasonable adjustments to help settings make practical, proportionate changes that remove barriers to learning for children and young people with SEND. 

Status: Proposed
Likely route: Legislation
Earliest timing: September 2029 under the stated timetable.

What is proposed

The consultation says the Government will create clear statutory duties for schools and colleges to ensure every child or young person receives timely, high-quality and effective support. It also says legislation will clarify expectations around early identification, meeting needs and monitoring progress, and that settings will be required to use the National Inclusion Standards and produce ISPs where needed, and to publish an Inclusion Strategy setting out how resources are used to benefit children with SEND. 

Status: Mixed - some reforms already announced, some further consultation proposed
Likely route: Inspection framework changes, performance measures, guidance, possibly secondary changes
Earliest timing: Some changes already in train; others to be consulted on.

What is proposed

The consultation says inclusion will sit at the heart of accountability, that Ofsted’s inspection framework will assess settings for inclusion, including new Inclusion Strategies and how staff are equipped to deliver them, and that the Government will undertake a full consultation on changes to the Area SEND inspection framework. It also says Ofsted will assess the use and quality of ISPs. 

Status: Proposed
Likely route: Legislation, procedure changes, digital processes, guidance
Earliest timing: Unclear; likely linked to broader 2029 reforms.

What is proposed

The consultation proposes a new digital complaints solution, stronger coordination between complaint bodies, stronger independence of complaint panels, and changes to the Tribunal’s role. The Government’s proposal is that the Tribunal would no longer name a placement after a successful appeal, but instead decide whether the local authority’s decision was reasonable and require reconsideration if not. 

Status: Proposed
Likely route: Legislation and separate consultation on standards
Earliest timing: “At the earliest opportunity”; likely part of the 2029 reform package.

What is proposed

The consultation says the Government will legislate to ensure a reasonable price is paid for independent special school placements and to bring the duties and oversight of ISSs into line with other special schools. The broader consultation materials also refer to a statutory definition, standards, admissions alignment, greater financial transparency and limits on expansion where demand is weak. 

Status: Further consultation proposed in 2026
Likely route: Funding consultation, guidance, later structural reform
Earliest timing: New inclusive early years funding from 2026/27; wider funding simplification consultation in 2026; rebalancing from 2029/30. 

What is proposed

The consultation says local authorities will receive new inclusive early years funding from 2026/27, and that the Government will consult in 2026 on simplifying and consolidating funding streams from 2027/28 onwards. It also says high needs funding will begin to be rebalanced towards earlier, more upfront support from 2029/30. 

Status: White paper commitment to consult
Likely route: Consultation on changes to the School Admissions Code
Earliest timing: “Later in the year.”

What is proposed

The white paper says the Government will consult on changes to the School Admissions Code to promote fairness, particularly for disadvantaged children and children with SEND. It also says it plans to clarify banding arrangements and tighten rules so banding produces representative intakes.