The UK government has proposed significant changes to the way in which children and young people who have special education needs and disabilities (SEND) are supported. The long-awaited SEND reform consultation gives details of how they are proposing to improve early intervention, reduce bureaucracy and red tape, whilst ensuring that inclusion is increased across learning environments.
Many parents find it difficult to navigate the complex route of SEND support within the UK and these proposals will raise many important questions surrounding EHCP changes,
how mainstream inclusion will be affected and any alternative education options such as home schooling or distance learning.
This article gives a brief low down of what is changing, why reform is being proposed and what it means for families who need help and support; especially those who may be exploring flexible or alternative educational pathways.
The new government’s consultation does acknowledge that the current SEND system is under extreme strain, which many parents will agree with and although funding has increased substantially over the past decade, it still does not go far enough. Many families are reporting:
Because of this, the educational outcomes for children with SEND remain much lower than their peers, causing persistent absence and a sense of exclusion.
The reform highlights a difficult reality that does not make easy reading, showing that there is currently no consistency in delivering early support that is effective.
When reading through the reforms, it becomes very clear that there are significant changes to EHCPs. Whilst they were originally designed to support children with the most complex needs; over time, it has become clear that there should be a much simpler system that does not involve a legal plan.
There has been a sharp rise in EHCPs which in turn has created pressure on local authorities, especially because of the administrative complexity of each plan issued.
Proposed changes include:
The main aim is to ensure that support and intervention is available much sooner and cut out the lengthy assessments in order that minimal negative impact is caused to families.
For families, this would represent a huge shift away from a broken system that focuses more on legal aspects, challenges and late intervention and more on collaboration between the two parties.
The reforms are proposing a three-layer model of SEND support, we will discuss this briefly as follows:
All mainstream schools would have an expectation that they could meet the new National Inclusion Standards, ensuring teaching should be inclusive and there would be an early identification of needs.
This would mean that more support would be available without the need for formal diagnosis or statutory plans.
This means that any children needing additional help would receive interventions that were targeted to their specific needs, including:
Most importantly, this support would not require an EHCP, as is the case at the moment.
Children with more complex needs would continue to receive a more specialist provision which would be supported by formal plans and carefully structured packages.
The aim is to ensure that any specialist resources are only used when there is genuinely a case for them, whilst continuing to strengthen mainstream capacity.
The central goal to SEND reform is to attempt to improve inclusion into mainstream education with a greater emphasis being placed on the schools to administer this.
Schools will be required to:
It is thought that for some families, making mainstream more inclusive, may reduce the need for alternative provisions. However, it could also mean that nothing changes for other learners, particularly where mainstream environments have not worked in the past. Therefore, any alternative education pathways may still remain the same.
Whilst the new reforms aim to improve mainstream inclusion, not all children thrive in a traditional school setting.
For many parents, that means exploring home schooling, online learning, or distance education and the SEND reform raises many important considerations.
Alternative education may sometimes offer:
For some learners, especially those who suffer from anxiety, sensory challenges or any social pressures etc., a different way of learning could complement, or support SEND provision.
It is also important that parents understand, elective home education will remain lawful in the UK and the new SEND reform will not remove a parent’s right to choose an education that is more suitable for their child.
One of the strongest messages that the government are trying to get across within the reform proposals is how important early intervention is and when children receive timely support:
With the current system, families consistently report delays in accessing services, such as speech and language therapy and the new reforms aim to overcome the hurdles that lead to this situation occurring. This will happen by increasing investment into individual services and implementing improved coordination between providers.
The government have stated that the way in which the SEND reforms are going to work is by committing substantial funding as well as:
In order to carry out this process, improving teacher training is key, with many education professionals feeling that they are not ready to support complex needs without the necessary backup.
With improved training and access to specialist teams, the aim is to strengthen support in local school environments.
It is clear that improved collaboration is required across services as families often report difficulty in navigating the current broken system where education, health and social care operate independently.
The aim is to integrate teams so that there is less chance of duplication and children will receive support that is coordinated.
This may help families by ensuring:
Parents have continually become disillusioned with the current system and now it is time to rebuild trust as they currently feel:
It has been promised that SEND reforms aim to shift towards a system that is more of a partnership than a dispute, with greater transparency, standards that are more clear and support available earlier.
SEND reform proposals are not going to happen overnight and are still subject to consultation and a phased implementation.
Parents should:
For families considering alternative or distance learning pathways, they should check that any provisions chosen are still suitable under existing education law.
Whilst the proposed SEND reform represents a major impact on how special educational needs are currently supported in England, the existing system remains in place for the present time.
Whilst assessments for the new system will begin in September 2029, changes to the support received via EHCPs will not be seen before at least September 2030.
For any parents, particularly those considering alternative education, it is essential that a full understanding of these changes is essential.
SEND reform refers to the government’s proposed changes to how children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities will be supported in England. The reforms aim to improve early intervention, reduce the need for as many EHCPs, enhance inclusion in mainstream and improve the coordination between services.
Whilst EHCPs are not being removed completely, under the new proposals, they will be reserved for children with the most complex needs. However, many children could receive the required support through the new Individual Support Plans (ISPs), which are designed to add flexibility and less bureaucracy.
The ISP is the proposed new form of SEND support plan, which will replace EHCP for many children. The new ISP would outline a child’s needs and support arrangements whilst aiming to reduce delays and complex admin.
Whilst the SEND reforms focus mainly on mainstream education provided by the local authority, parents of home schooled children should stay informed about how the new reforms may affect access to assessments and services available.
Parents should ensure that they follow any policy updates, understanding how changes to EHCPs may affect their legal rights. If concerned, they should seek advice, especially if considering an assessment or review.
We are led to believe that under the new reforms, there will be increased funding, inclusion standards will be improved, more teacher training will be available and there will be greater access to specialist professionals, who will support SEND in mainstream schools.
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