Need to know
The government has announced an overhaul of the SEND system with billions of pounds invested to make mainstream schools more inclusive, including new tiered support and EHCP reforms from September 2029
What to know abut the SEND system overhaul as billions pledged to end years-long waits for special needs support
- The Government has unveiled a massive overhaul of the special educational needs system with billions in funding to end years-long waits for support that have left vulnerable children struggling.
- Keir Starmer promised the decade-long reforms would deliver “a better education for every single child” as he revealed personal motivation from his late brother Nick’s struggles with learning difficulties. The PM said Nick was “put to one side” by a failing system and “his life was very different from mine”.
- From September 2029, parents will no longer face lengthy assessments as schools will provide instant digital Individual Support Plans with three tiers of help – Targeted, Targeted Plus and Specialist. Children won’t need formal diagnoses to access speech therapy, small group support or curriculum adaptations.
- All teachers will be trained in SEND support while 60,000 new specialist places will be created in mainstream schools, backed by £3.7billion in funding. Every secondary school must have an inclusion base with proper lighting, acoustics and breakout rooms.
- Education, Health and Care Plans will be reserved only for children with the most complex needs, with current Year 2 pupils the first to have their support reassessed when moving to secondary school. The reforms include £1.8billion for an “experts at hand” service putting specialists directly in schools.
- Teachers will see maternity pay doubled from four to eight weeks full pay for the first time in 25 years, while independent special school fees averaging £63,000 per year will be capped to end “unjustified” charges.
READ THE FULL STORY: 13 bombshell changes to schools from new SEND support and classroom shake-up
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