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EHCP Compass · SEND reforms

What the SEND reforms mean for you

A plain-English guide to the February 2026 White Paper, the new Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act, and what they actually change for parents of children with SEND — and what they don't.

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The short version

The current EHCP law remains in force. The government's February 2026 White Paper proposed major SEND reforms and described a "triple lock", but those transition assurances are policy proposals, not new statutory rights. Councils must apply today's law now.

This page explains the three things that have actually happened since November 2025, so you can ignore the noise and focus on what matters.

1. The February 2026 White Paper — what's been proposed

On 23 February 2026 the government published "Every Child Achieving and Thriving" — a White Paper setting out its long-term plan for SEND.

What it proposes:

  • A new four-tier model: Universal → Targeted → Targeted Plus → Specialist
  • Statutory Individual Support Plans (ISPs) for every child identified with SEND in mainstream school
  • EHCPs retained but reformed into "Specialist Provision Packages" for higher-need children
  • A new "Experts at Hand" service so schools can call in specialists
  • £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund
  • £200 million for teacher SEND training
  • £3.7 billion for 60,000 new specialist places

What it does NOT change for you NOW:

  • Your existing EHCP remains in force
  • All statutory timescales (20-week assessment, annual review, etc.) remain unchanged
  • Your right to appeal to the SEND Tribunal remains unchanged
  • The Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND Regulations 2014 remain unchanged

The "triple lock" — what it means in plain English

The government promised three layers of protection for families with existing support:

  1. No child loses effective support already in place
  2. Existing EHCPs are protected until they're reviewed
  3. Specialist placements held in 2029 are protected

Timeline you should know

  • White Paper published: 23 February 2026
  • Consultation closed: 18 May 2026
  • Government response: expected late 2026
  • New system not in force until: at least September 2029
  • No changes to existing EHCPs before: September 2030

So if you're inside the system today, you've got at least three years of full continuity before any of these changes can touch your child's plan.

Read the White Paper on gov.uk: Every Child Achieving and Thriving

2. Separate schools legislation

Schools legislation and SEND reform proposals should not be conflated. Check the linked official legislation record for commencement and scope; it does not itself replace the current EHCP framework described above.

What it does for SEND:

  • Strengthens Local Authorities' strategic role in special-school place planning
  • Requires Secretary of State consent for material changes to special institutions
  • Tighter LA oversight of independent schools admitting SEND children

What it does NOT do for SEND:

  • It does NOT change EHCP rights
  • It does NOT change tribunal appeal rights
  • It does NOT change statutory timescales
  • The headline SEND reforms above are reserved for a future Education for All Bill

Read the Act on legislation.gov.uk: Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026

3. Ofsted's new Inclusion judgement — live since November 2025

This is the change most likely to be useful to you right now.

What changed:

Since 10 November 2025, every school inspection report has a standalone "Inclusion" judgement covering SEND identification, support and outcomes. Single-word grades (Good / Outstanding) have been replaced with report cards giving granular evaluations across multiple areas — including Inclusion.

How this helps you as a parent:

  • Choosing a school — you can now read a school's specific Inclusion grade rather than guessing from a single overall rating
  • Challenging weak SEND support — Ofsted's published Inclusion findings can be cited in complaints, tribunal appeals, and council partnership conversations
  • Comparing schools — concrete, comparable data across schools for the first time

Read about the new framework on gov.uk: Education Inspection Framework

What you should do now

Nothing different. Keep doing what you're doing.

  • If your child has an EHCP, your statutory rights are unchanged
  • If you're applying for an EHCP, the process is unchanged
  • If you're appealing to the SEND Tribunal, your appeal rights are unchanged
  • If your annual review is due, the same statutory timescales apply

EHCP Compass will update this page when an official consultation response or enacted legislation changes the position. For now, use the current law.

Need help?

  • Use our free Annual Review Copilot to prepare for your next review
  • Save your case stage in Deadline Watch; personalised dates are currently paused
  • Use the language selector for automatic translations; English remains the source for detailed legal content

Last verified: 29 June 2026. All claims sourced from gov.uk, legislation.gov.uk and Ofsted. This is information, not legal advice — for case-specific guidance please contact IPSEA or a SEND solicitor.