Have a say on the new SEND proposals
Barnwood is here to work with parents, carers and local partners to have their say on the Government’s plans to reform Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) support.
On Monday, the Government announced its long-awaited school reforms, ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving.’ It proposes changes to the ways children and young people with SEND are supported in their education. These are only plans for now — nothing will change until at least 2029 — and the Government is asking for feedback until 18th May 2026.
We believe it is important that the voices of local parents, carers and young people are heard by the Government as these plans are developed.
What is the Government proposing?
The Government has announced a £4 billion investment in SEND education in the UK. The following key changes are proposed:
- BetterSEND support in local schools and early years settings. This would include training for teachers, easier access to experts such as speech and language therapists, and new Inclusion Bases in mainstream schools. The Government hopes this will mean more children with SEND receive support sooner and that their needs are met closer to home.
- Afour-tier system of support: Universal, Targeted, Targeted Plus, and Specialist. Each child with SEND would have an Individual Support Plan (ISP) that explains what help they will get. Ministers say children’s SEND needs would be met without the need to fight for the support and they could move between tiers more easily as their needs change.
- 3.A new model for specialist support for children with the most complex needs. Only children within the new ‘specialist’ tier would receive an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in this new system. These plans would be checked at the end of each Key Stage.
These changes would be introduced slowly over the next 10 years. Children would start to move to the new system from September 2029, and the Government has promised that no child will lose their special school place unless they choose to.
For more detailed information, see the Government’s guide for parents.
More work is needed
The SEND system is in urgent need of reform — to be more fair, equitable and genuinely supportive of every child. We know that many families in Gloucestershire are exhausted from fighting for the educational support their children need and are legally entitled to.
These proposals aim to make things better, but they will only work if they are shaped by people who understand the system best: parents, carers, and disabled children and young people themselves.
Our partners have highlighted concerns from families about how the proposals will work in practice:
- Will there be enough resources to provide consistent, fully inclusive SEND support for every child who needs it?
- Will assessments for complex needs be fair?
- What legal rights will children have under the new system?
- And will parent-carers, children and young people — including those who are the most marginalised — have meaningful opportunities to shape the SEND support available to them?
We hope that these questions, and many others, will be addressed through the Government’s consultation.
How to have your say
The Government’s consultation is open for 12 weeks, until 18th May 2026.
You can share your views online or by going to a consultation event.
Your real life experiences are extremely important. The more the Government hears from families, the more likely it is that the new system will meet children’s needs.
Offer of support
At Barnwood Trust, we believe in being a partner for change, and that these reforms can be strengthened through collective action to ensure every child has a fair and equitable right to education.
We will continue to support our partners, work with individuals and advocate locally and with our MPs to influence these changes. We are here to support in whatever way we can.
If you have an idea about how we can work together during the Government’s consultation, to help make local voices heard on this issue, please contact Dan Jacques, Social Change Manager at dan.jacques@barnwoodtrust.org