SEND reform is becoming a political minefield - what should the education sector do now?
The weekend’s headlines made clear that the government’s long-trailed SEND reforms are heading into dangerous territory. In a BBC interview, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson refused to confirm whether families will retain legal access to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). The response has been swift, and fierce.
Senior Labour MPs now fear the government is sleepwalking into a “welfare mark two” situation: a deeply sensitive policy area where cost-saving drivers risk overshadowing a genuine need for reform, triggering a backlash from across the Labour movement and beyond. It’s an uncomfortable déjà vu for a party still reeling from the fallout of its welfare plans.
The government insists its intention is to fix a broken system, not slash support. But in the education sector, where trust has been stretched thin by years of inconsistency, the mood is already febrile. So, what does this mean for schools, trusts, local authorities, providers and the wider SEND ecosystem and how should the sector respond?
The context: reform is needed, but trust is fragile
The SEND system is struggling. More than 639,000 children now have an EHCP – up 11% year-on-year. Local authorities are under growing financial strain, with a third facing bankruptcy due to SEND deficits. Parents report an exhausting, adversarial process to secure basic entitlements. Teachers face increasing pressures managing a wide variety of needs in the classroom, and mainstream schools face mounting pressure on inclusivity, often without the specialist training or staffing to do so.
The case for reform is overwhelming, but this weekend’s developments risk undermining that case before it’s even been made. By failing to rule out the removal of statutory EHCP entitlements, ministers have opened the door to claims that support for disabled children is on the chopping block.
For the education sector, particularly those working on the front line, this is a problem. The ambiguity creates anxiety. Schools, Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and local authorities are already planning against a backdrop of severe funding and workforce pressures. Any shift in entitlement or accountability without clarity and support will only heighten that instability.
Three areas we are watching closely
The education sector should be preparing for three possible fault lines in the coming reform package:
- The future of EHCPs
If EHCPs are restricted or reformed, what replaces them? Will there be a credible universal offer for SEND in mainstream settings? Who will be accountable for delivering it? Schools need confidence that expectations on them won’t rise while support falls away. This is particularly acute for inclusion-focused MATs trying to do the right thing but facing inconsistency from local systems.
- Inclusion versus capacity
The government says it wants more children with SEND supported in mainstream schools, but inclusion without investment is bound to fail. The success of the ‘inclusive schools’ agenda hinges on a serious commitment to workforce development, therapeutic support, classroom adaptations, better infrastructure on school estates and evidence-led interventions – none of which can be delivered either cheaply or at pace.
- Financial planning in limbo
School and MAT leaders are already managing spiralling demand and increasingly tight budgets. The uncertainty around EHCP reform adds another layer of complexity and they will need to build flexibility into future planning and work closely with local authorities as details emerge, even as those authorities themselves grapple with limited clarity from the centre.
Why this is a moment of influence
The Department for Education is still in deep policy development mode, and Number 10 is watching closely, desperate to avoid further mistakes. The fallout from the welfare reforms has jolted the system. While Education ministers were all too aware that the politics of SEND are high-stakes, highly emotive, and deeply personal to many MPs and their constituents, that understanding is now more widely understood across government.
This creates a window for influence. Already, sector voices, including from schools, trusts and providers, are being heard. At a roundtable this week that WA Communications organised on behalf of Outcomes First Group – the UK’s leading provider of specialist education for children with SEND -cross-sector stakeholders and parliamentarians gathered to share solutions and challenge assumptions. This won’t be the last such opportunity: the autumn Budget and the long-awaited school’s white paper will be key milestones.
SEND reform will define this government’s education legacy. The sector must not only watch carefully, but it must also lead where it can. Because if reform is coming, it must work for children, families and schools alike. Anything less risks repeating the mistakes of the past and that is a cost no government can afford.