London: Mainstream schools across the UK are set to receive direct funding to better support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as part of a sweeping £4bn reform package aimed at making the education system more inclusive.
The major government overhaul will fund targeted interventions such as small-group language programmes and provide support for staff to implement adaptive teaching methods tailored to individual pupil needs.
Central to the reforms is a £1.6bn ‘inclusive mainstream fund,’ which will be distributed over three years to early years settings, schools, and colleges. In addition, £1.8bn over the same period will finance the creation of an ‘experts at hand’ service in every local area. This network will include SEND specialists such as specialist teachers and speech and language therapists.
The Department for Education (DfE) remarked that the schools will be able to access this specialist support on demand, regardless of whether a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the legal document that outlines the assistance children with SEND are entitled to receive.
A further £200m will be invested in community-based SEND outreach teams, while another £200m will be allocated to local authorities to help them transform their operations in line with the reforms, while maintaining existing SEND services.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to provide ‘tailored support’ for families and bring an end to what he described as a ‘one-size-fits-all system.’ Starmer stated that he had heard directly from parents who feel exhausted and forced to fight the system to secure appropriate support for their children.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government was “fiercely ambitious for children and young people with SEND,” adding they deserve a system that uplifts them and places no limits on their potential.
Phillipson described the reforms as a watershed moment for a generation of young people and a major milestone in the government’s mission to ensure opportunity is available to every child.
Trade unions broadly welcomed the reform plans but cautioned that they would closely scrutinise the details once the Schools White Paper is published to determine whether the measures go far enough.
Mike Short, the Union’s head of education, said the broad themes of the White Paper were encouraging and stressed that narrowing the disadvantage gap is essential if all children are to thrive.
Short added that reforms must ensure sufficient funding to support every pupil and provide fair pay for staff, while properly recognising the crucial role support staff play in delivering for children with SEND.
The National Association of Headteachers welcomed the principle of strengthening support within mainstream schools but stated that it would examine the details carefully.
General secretary Paul Whiteman emphasised that while inclusion is important, some pupils with complex needs will continue to require places in special schools. Whiteman added that it is vital that government plans ensure all children receive the right support at the right time and in the appropriate setting.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Mencap, described the move to make mainstream schools more inclusive as positive. However, he stressed that children’s needs must be identified early and that families should receive immediate, fully funded support backed by legal rights.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said that while no reform package will be perfect, changes to the SEND system should not become the next political flashpoint in Westminster.
Associate director Avnee Morjaria warned that the cost of delay is already being felt and urged all sides to unite behind a serious programme of reform. The full details of the changes are expected to be outlined in the forthcoming Schools White Paper.
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