19/05/2026
For anyone with a child with special educational needs
We've submitted our consultation response to the SEND White Paper. It took a long time!
So, to make it easier for you, we've created bullet points of things you need to consider when you submit yours. Whether you do that via the online for (39 questions) or via email (details of the website and email address are at the bottom of this post).
1. Genuine family voice
- Families already speak up repeatedly through complaints, reviews and tribunals.
- The issue is lack of action, not lack of parental voice.
- Independent scrutiny and enforceable rights must remain.
- Consultation processes must be accessible and trauma-informed.
- Neurodivergent children may need specialist communication support.
2. Evidence and best practice
- Lived experience IS evidence.
- Attendance and EHCP reductions are not reliable success measures.
- Decisions should involve multidisciplinary professionals.
- DLD remains hugely under-recognised.
- Long-term wellbeing must outweigh short-term savings.
3. Universal Offer
- Inclusion without resources becomes exclusion.
- Mandatory SEND training is essential.
- Children should not need to reach crisis first.
- Attendance alone does not equal inclusion.
- Universal support must not replace specialist provision.
4. Targeted layer
- Early intervention prevents escalation.
- Support must be legally accountable.
- Existing plans often lack enforceability.
- Parents should be treated as partners.
- National consistency is needed.
5. Targeted Plus layer
- Complex needs require specialist and enforceable support.
- Joined-up working across services is essential.
- Wellbeing matters more than attendance statistics.
- Families should not need legal battles for provision.
- EHCP protections must remain protected in law.
6. Specialist layer
- Specialist provision must remain needs-led.
- Local specialist shortages force costly independent placements.
- Children are reaching crisis before support arrives.
- Local authorities must invest in quality local specialist settings.
- Independent oversight is essential.
7. Mental health and wellbeing
- Unmet SEND often drives poor mental health.
- Children need safe and understanding environments.
- Mental health and SEND support cannot be separated.
- Parents’ concerns must be listened to earlier.
- Staffing and specialist access are critical.
8. Areas of development
- Frameworks alone will not improve outcomes.
- Behaviour is often misunderstood as “choice”.
- Whole-school culture matters.
- Staff need accountability and leadership support.
- Children need delivery, not more frameworks.
9. Joint working in early years
- Families are often left navigating fragmented systems.
- Advice given to families is frequently inconsistent.
- Independent support matters.
- Parents’ observations should be valued.
- Early identification must lead to action.
10. Improving early identification
- “Wait and see” delays support.
- SEND training in early years needs strengthening.
- Parents often identify concerns first.
- Long waiting lists delay intervention.
- Support should not rely on diagnosis alone.
11. National Inclusion Standards
- Outcomes, belonging and accountability should be priorities.
- Data alone is meaningless without impact.
- Children should feel safe and included.
- Provision must actually be delivered.
- Numbers are outcomes, not targets.
12. National training priorities
- Training should cover unmet need and neurodivergence.
- Legal duties around SEND must be included.
- Staff need practical strategies, not just theory.
- CPD fatigue is already significant.
- Whole-school culture change is needed.
13. Managing workload
- Teachers are already stretched beyond capacity.
- Practical and on-demand training is valued.
- Bureaucracy contributes heavily to burnout.
- Schools need admin and specialist support.
- Reform must come with proper resourcing.
14. SENCO role
- SENCO workload is unsustainable.
- More protected time is needed.
- Larger settings may need multiple SENCOs.
- Legal training is essential.
- SEND systems cannot rely on burnt-out staff.
15. High-quality ISPs
- Families need legal protection, not reassurance.
- ISPs should never replace EHCPs where needed.
- Provision must be specific and accountable.
- Plans should remain enforceable.
- Generic plans create confusion.
16. Clear ISPs
- Clarity must not reduce accountability.
- Vague wording leads to inconsistent delivery.
- Plans should specify who, what and how often.
- Documentation must remain practical.
- New systems must improve accountability.
17. Transition support
- Transition pathways are inconsistent nationally.
- Planning should begin early.
- Preparation for adulthood matters.
- Mental capacity assessments need improvement.
- Families need independent post-16 guidance.
18. Inclusion Bases
- Inclusion Bases need funding and accountability.
- They must not become holding spaces.
- Specialist provision must remain available.
- Inclusion is more than physical placement.
- National standards are essential.
19. Inclusion Bases in mainstream
- Success should focus on safety and regulation.
- Specialist staffing is essential.
- Flexibility around anxiety and burnout is needed.
- Whole-school culture must also change.
- Inclusion Bases must not delay specialist placements.
20. Experts at Hand
- Workforce shortages already exist.
- Clear definitions of “expert” are needed.
- Responsibilities between agencies must be clear.
- Advice alone is insufficient.
- National consistency is vital.
21. Accessing specialist placements
- Access should depend on need, not postcode.
- Local shortages drive independent placements.
- Children should not need to fail repeatedly first.
- Multidisciplinary assessments are essential.
- Less visible needs are often overlooked.
22. Specialist Provision Packages
- Provision must remain individualised.
- Generic pathways do not work.
- Councils should invest in local specialist provision.
- Smaller class sizes alone are insufficient.
- Provision should adapt to the child.
23. EHCPs and ISPs
- Families need enforceable rights.
- Moving provision into ISPs risks weakening protection.
- Provision must be specific and quantified.
- Systems must remain needs-led.
- Simplification must not reduce accountability.
24. Under-5 direct routes
- Earlier intervention is positive if funded properly.
- “Wait and see” approaches are harmful.
- Clear pathways between services are needed.
- Support should not depend on diagnosis.
- Workforce investment is essential.
25. Needs assessments
- Assessments must consider the whole child.
- Decisions should not be resource-led.
- Parents’ views should be treated as evidence.
- Masking and burnout must be recognised.
- Professional independence must be protected.
26. Naming placements
- Settings should be chosen based on need.
- Outcomes and suitability matter most.
- Travel impact should be considered.
- Families are being forced to relocate.
- Children should not repeatedly fail first.
27. Choosing settings
- Families need genuinely independent advice.
- Parents often feel overwhelmed and under-informed.
- Guidance should exist in multiple formats.
- Families need help understanding provision quality.
- Recommendations must not be funding-led.
28. Alternative Provision
- No rigid national timeframe will suit all children.
- AP must not become indefinite holding provision.
- Placements need clear goals and reviews.
- Reintegration should not always be the end goal.
- AP should not manage unmet SEND alone.
29. Independent Special Schools
- Regulation alone will not solve placement shortages.
- Families pursue ISS because local provision is lacking.
- Many “specialist” settings lack specialist expertise.
- Investment in local provision is needed.
- Parental choice must remain protected.
30. Inclusive Mainstream funding
- Accountability should focus on outcomes.
- Schools should demonstrate impact clearly.
- Attendance alone is not enough.
- Families deserve transparency around funding.
- Independent oversight is needed.
31. More SEND funding in mainstream
- Funding could improve early intervention.
- Ringfencing and accountability are essential.
- EHCP access must not reduce.
- Staffing and specialist access still matter.
- Reform must remain needs-led.
32. Local SEND groups
- Collaboration could improve consistency.
- Independent scrutiny is essential.
- Shared funding must not become cost-led.
- Families need transparency.
- Challenge should be viewed positively.
33. Resolving disagreements
- Processes must remain child-centred.
- Independent mediation must be genuinely impartial.
- Tribunal success rates suggest current systems fail.
- Delays leave children unsupported.
- Accountability and challenge improve systems.
34. Local partnership groups
- Groups must be impact-driven, not performative.
- National standards are needed.
- Independent voices are essential.
- Families often feel ignored or silenced.
- Real outcomes must be reviewed regularly.
35. Important stakeholders
- Lived experience must shape decisions.
- Representation must be meaningful, not tokenistic.
- Independent organisations are vital.
- Financial independence protects impartiality.
- All stakeholders should prioritise children over systems.
36. SEND strategic plans
- Plans must move beyond lip service.
- Success should focus on outcomes, not savings.
- Challenging voices should not be excluded.
- Transparency around unmet need matters.
- Independent oversight is essential.
37. Information, advice and guidance
- Families need legally accurate information.
- Guidance should exist in many formats.
- IAS services are heavily under-resourced.
- Independent advice is essential.
- Families should feel empowered, not intimidated.
38. SEND specialists on complaint panels
- SEND expertise is valuable.
- Independence is equally important.
- Systems should not investigate themselves.
- Complaint systems often fail families.
- Panels should consider lived experience too.
39. Final comments on reforms
- The problem is implementation, not lack of frameworks.
- Families repeatedly experience unmet provision.
- Tribunal outcomes suggest systemic failure.
- Enforceable rights must not be weakened.
- Reform should focus on accountability and workforce investment.
We will be publishing our response in due course, but we hope this is useful for you.
Submit your response here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/
Or by Email: [email protected]
