Tracker: SEND reforms (schools white paper and consultation)
The Government’s schools white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, and the SEND consultation, Putting Children and Young People First, set out a major proposed restructuring of the schools and SEND system in England.
Looking for more detail on how the SEND reforms will affect you?
This tracker is designed to give schools, trusts and colleges a practical, up-to-date view of the Government's SEND reform programme and what is changing and when.
The proposed restructuring of the statutory SEND framework remains subject to further policy development and legislation. However, implementation of some elements of the wider reform programme has now begun. The existing statutory SEND framework, including current duties and rights relating to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), remains in force while the new system is developed and introduced.
Implementation timetable
Now - implementation begins while policy development continues
The Government's main consultation on its proposed reforms to the SEND system closed on 18 May 2026. The Government's response is awaited.
While the core structural reforms remain proposals, a number of measures intended to prepare the system for reform are now being implemented. These include the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, development of school Inclusion Strategies, the Experts at Hand programme and local SEND reform planning.
The Government has also consulted separately on Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) and proposals for additional upfront SEND funding for mainstream schools through a local SEND inclusion formula. Both consultations closed on 18 September 2026.
What settings should do now
Settings should continue to comply with the existing statutory SEND framework while monitoring the development of the proposed new system. Mainstream state-funded schools should also ensure that they are meeting any requirements attached to new SEND funding and implementation measures, including the Inclusive Mainstream Fund where applicable.
2026 to 2028
Phase 1: build and invest
The Government describes this phase as system preparation. Work now underway includes:
implementation of the £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund;
development and publication of school Inclusion Strategies;
development and delivery of the Experts at Hand offer;
local SEND reform planning;
SEND workforce development and training;
expansion of educational psychology training;
development of the National Inclusion Standards; and
further development and testing of Specialist Provision Packages.
2028 to 2029
Phase 2: legislative preparation
The Government indicates that:
New legislation is expected to come into force from September 2029 (subject to Parliamentary approval).
There will be no changes to EHCP support before at least September 2030.
School year 2029/30 onwards
Phase 3: statutory implementation begins
Subject to legislation, this is expected to be the first year in which the reformed system begins to operate.
This is expected to include:
First needs assessments under the new framework;
Statutory introduction of Individual Support Plans (ISPs);
Use of nationally defined Specialist Provision Packages;
A reformed role for EHCPs; and
Expansion of specialist places and inclusion bases.
September 2030 onwards
Transition for existing EHCP holders
The Government has confirmed:
Existing EHCPs will not be affected before September 2030.
Transition will take place at natural phase transfer points.
Children in specialist placements can remain unless they choose to move.
Reforms already being implemented
Status: Implementation underway
The Government has introduced the Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF) as part of its programme to strengthen inclusive provision in mainstream schools. The fund is intended to support schools to improve their universal offer and provide earlier, evidence-based support for children and young people with SEND.
Schools receiving IMF funding are required to develop and publish an Inclusion Strategy by 31 December 2026, setting out, among other things, the needs and barriers within their cohort and how inclusion funding is being used to improve provision and outcomes.
This is an important distinction from many of the wider SEND reforms: the IMF and associated requirements are being implemented under the existing system and do not depend on the proposed future SEND legislation.
Status: Implementation underway
The Government has now published guidance on the first year of the Experts at Hand programme.
The programme is intended to give mainstream settings easier access to specialist education, health and care expertise, supporting earlier identification of need and timely, evidence-based intervention.
Local authorities and integrated care boards are expected to establish local Experts at Hand offers during 2026/27. Initial delivery is expected to begin from September 2026, with the offer developing further as the wider SEND reforms are implemented.
Status: Implementation underway
Local authorities are being required to develop and maintain local SEND reform plans as part of preparations for the wider reforms.
These plans are intended to support local areas in moving towards a more inclusive and financially sustainable SEND system and form part of the Government's wider programme of local SEND transformation.
Proposed changes to law or statutory guidance
Status: Proposed - development underway
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 - development underway
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.
The Government has published indicative information on Specialist Provision Packages as part of the SEND consultation. The Packages remain under development and are expected to be developed and tested further with experts, parents and organisations representing disabled children.
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 implemented, some further consultation proposed.
Likely route: Inspection framework changes, performance measures, guidance, possibly secondary changes.
Earliest timing: Some changes already implemented; others to be consulted on.
What is proposed
Ofsted has already updated its state-funded schools inspection toolkit for inspections from September 2026 to strengthen and clarify the way in which inclusion is considered on inspection.
The updated toolkit includes additional or revised wording concerning:
the requirement for schools to have an Inclusion Strategy;
the role of the SENCo;
leaders' engagement with pupils with SEND and their families;
inclusion bases and curriculum adaptation;
the attainment and progress of pupils with SEND; and
support for pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan to attend and behave.
Ofsted has also clarified that inspectors will meet the SENCo and other relevant leaders with responsibility for inclusion throughout an inspection.
The consultation says inclusion will sit at the heart of accountability, 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.
Further SEND reform consultations
Status: Consultation closed - Government response awaited
The Government launched a further consultation in July 2026 on arrangements for children and young people receiving education otherwise than at school, those receiving alternative provision because they cannot attend school for health reasons and those receiving provision through accredited online education providers.
The consultation considers how responsibilities can be clarified, support improved and provision better quality-assured, including arrangements intended to support progression and, where appropriate, reintegration.
The consultation closed on 18 September 2026.
Status: Consultation closed - Government response awaited
The Government has also consulted on temporary arrangements that would allow local authorities to provide additional SEND funding to mainstream schools upfront.
The proposed "local SEND inclusion formula" is intended to provide additional resources to mainstream schools without funding necessarily being dependent upon individual children first reaching existing thresholds for additional high-needs funding.
The consultation focuses initially on arrangements for the 2027/28 financial year. The Government has made clear that publication of accompanying guidance does not mean that a final decision has been taken to implement the policy.
The consultation closed on 18 September 2026.
What we are watching
The Government's response to the main SEND reform consultation;
Responses to the EOTAS and local SEND inclusion formula consultations;
Further development of the National Inclusion Standards;
Further development and testing of Specialist Provision Packages;
Publication of draft SEND legislation and further detail on the proposed Education for All Bill;
Development and eventual consultation on a revised SEND Code of Practice and School Admissions Code;
Further guidance on reasonable adjustments;
Implementation of Experts at Hand and other local SEND transformation measures; and
Further detail on the transition from the existing statutory framework to the proposed new system.
Editorial note:
This tracker reflects the position as at 28 September 2029. Most SEND reforms are currently proposals only. Dates beyond publication and consultation deadlines are indicative and taken from the Government's stated implementation timetable. They remain subject to consultation, legislation and further policy development.