Starmer and Phillipson Set Out Ambitious SEND Reforms Amid National System Strain
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson have unveiled a landmark overhaul of England’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support system, tying the policy to personal experience and a broader national challenge.
Starmer said the reforms were partly inspired by the struggles of his late brother Nick, who faced persistent barriers in school due to learning difficulties. “Nick had huge potential,” the prime minister said, adding that his brother was “put to one side,” reflecting a system that too often fails children with additional needs. “For so many children, they are held back by a system that doesn’t work for them.”
Phillipson, speaking at the policy launch in a school in Peterborough, framed the reforms as a response to an education system that “works well for some children, but not all.” In her speech, she said: “Children with SEND are often sidelined - bright children from ordinary families are still not achieving all that they should.”
A System in Need of Change
The SEND system has long been under strain. There are currently well over a million pupils identified as having special educational needs and more than half a million with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), the legally binding documents that entitle children to specified support.
Officials say rising demand, inconsistent provision and soaring costs have left local authorities struggling to balance budgets, condemning families to long waits for support and sometimes legal battles to secure help. Under the current model, many parents feel they must fight for a formal EHCP before schools will commit meaningful resources.
Phillipson directly addressed these long-standing grievances. “We will take away that fight that so many parents have had over such a long period … to get the support that should be much more readily available to their children,” she told reporters.
What the Reforms Would Do
The government’s plan represents a major restructuring of how SEND support is delivered:
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A £4 billion investment will redirect funding to mainstream schools and early intervention services to reduce reliance on EHCPs as the gateway for help.
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A new tiered system will introduce legally backed Individual Support Plans (ISPs) for pupils with a range of needs, allowing earlier help without needing a formal diagnosis.
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Specialist support - including speech therapists, educational psychologists and SEND teachers - will be made available through a national “bank” that schools can draw on directly.
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EHCPs will remain for children with the most complex needs, with new protections and provision packages defined by nationally agreed criteria.
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Implementation is phased: assessments under the new system will begin in September 2029 and reforms fully take effect around 2030.
Phillipson emphasised that the changes are need-based, not diagnosis-based, saying: “For some children with autism, with the right level of support within mainstream they can thrive … This is dependent on individual need, not an arbitrary definition.”
The real test for ministers will be delivery - building the workforce, ensuring schools have the capacity to act and assuaging parental fears that valuable legal rights won’t diminish as the system evolves.
For families and educators alike, reform is overdue. Whether this overhaul can finally transform the SEND experience from a bureaucratic battle into supportive, inclusive schooling remains the central question of the years ahead.
