Next week the Government will publish its landmark schools white paper, which will set out plans to halve the gap between outcomes for poorer children and their peers
Disadvantaged children are set for a major boost as the Government pledged to “transform life chances” for young people.
On Monday the Government will publish its landmark schools white paper, which will set out plans to halve the gap between outcomes for poorer children and their peers, alongside generational reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.
This will set a target to halve the disadvantage gap by the time children born under this Government finish secondary school. Ministers will also change how schools get targeted disadvantage funding to better support those who need it.
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Instead of targeting the funding based on whether a child is eligible to receive free school meals, funding to schools could take into account how low family income is, how long this has been the case, and the place a child lives. It would also remove the need for families to choose to take up free school meals to be eligible for deprivation funding, in an attempt to cut admin for schools.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “These reforms are a golden opportunity to cut the link between background and success – one that we must seize. Our schools have made great strides in recent decades. Yet for too long, many children in our country have been let down by a one-size-fits-all system, denied opportunity because they’re poor or because they have additional needs.
“Our Schools White Paper presents the blueprint for opportunity for the next generation, with an education system that truly serves every child, whatever their needs and wherever in the country they grow up.”
The plans also set out two new programmes to tackle performance of disadvantaged pupils locally in the North East and on the coast. The two new programmes, Mission North East and Mission Coastal – will aim to tackle poorer performance for disadvantaged pupils in the areas, including white working-class pupils.
Other measures include a new target for attendance to recover 20 million school days a year by the end of 2028/29 compared with 2023/24. The White Paper will also set out incentives worth up to £15,000 for newly appointed headteachers to work in parts of the country that need heads.
The Schools White Paper was originally set to be published in autumn 2025, but was delayed to allow a further period to test Send reforms. The reforms are expected to introduce a plan with legal footing for all children with Send called Individual Support Plans. The proposals, which are set to come into force from 2029, are expected to see kids categorised under three tiers of support: Targeted, Targeted Plus and Specialist.
Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould, told The Sunday Mirror: “We have always said that these reforms needed to be shaped by people who know the system best – young people, parents, families and those working to support them. That’s why we started the biggest national conversation on SEND, reaching more than 8,000 people across the country, and I was determined to hear directly from young people and parents myself.“What they told me stayed with me. Children left waiting years for support they needed immediately. Parents who felt unheard – treated, as one put it, as ‘obstacles to manage’ rather than experts on their own children. Teachers who cared deeply but didn’t have the training to help. A system that was letting children down at every turn.
“I’m grateful to every family, teacher and young person who shared their story with us. We heard you. Now we have to deliver, and that means every child getting the support they need to thrive.”