The Importance of Clarity on SEND Reforms

This is a time of real uncertainty for parents and schools. Many have lost faith in a SEND system that forces them to fight tooth and nail every step of the way for the support their kids need, only to find dead ends, lack of answers, and delays. 

We are all too aware of the deep-rooted and complex problems in the system and, after attending a roundtable with organisations such as Dingley’s Promise earlier this year, I followed up with Olivia Bailey MP and the Department for Education on the need for greater clarity around the standardisation of SEND provision. After chasing a response on two occasions, it is disappointing not to have heard back.  

That lack of clarity is crucial, because while the Government’s School’s White Paper lays out ambitious and much-needed change, teachers, parents, and carers are still left with major questions about how these changes will work in practise.  

In particular, many parents' fears are being compounded by proposed shifts from EHCPs to ‘Individual Support Plans’ that look set to weaken their ability to challenge a system that has left them exhausted and councils on the brink of bankruptcy.  

To be clear, as we begin a new parliamentary session in Westminster, my Liberal Democrat colleagues and I will continue calling on the government to guarantee that legal rights will not be pulled away, that settled placements won't be disrupted, and that accountability, including meaningful routes of appeal, remain strong and effective.  

But to actually bring down this desperate struggle, a well-resourced, inclusive mainstream education system is the key. The introduction of National Inclusion Standards and £1.6 billion in funding for the Inclusive Mainstream Fund is positive, but the reality on the ground remains incredibly difficult.  

Research from the Sutton Trust found that 71% of school leaders in England have cut teaching assistant support because of budget pressures in the past 12 months, with only 10% not expecting to have to make further cuts in the next academic year (2026/2027).  

This exposes two diverging realities: at the very moment mainstream schools are being asked to take on far greater responsibility, they are having to cut back on the very staff needed to make national inclusion possible.   

With significant changes on the horizon, the challenges are widespread and urgent, and I want to thank everyone who has already taken part in the SEND survey I launched across Newbury and West Berkshire last week. I will continue to raise your experiences and advocate for change because any reform that doesn’t put the voices of children and parents at its heart will fail.