Ammi
23-02-2026, 01:18 PM
The government says it will spend billions to make mainstream schools in England more inclusive for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
It includes £1.6bn over three years going directly to schools, early years settings and colleges and £1.8bn over the same period to provide more access to experts like specialist teachers and speech and language therapists.
The new money is part of a major SEND system overhaul, with government plans for a series of school reforms being published in full later.
Teaching unions said they would scrutinise the proposals closely, with one saying the money was "barely a drop in the bucket" of what was needed, due to "years of underfunding".
The latest funding announcement comes days after other details of the government's proposals were leaked before the Schools White Paper, the government's formal policy document setting out all its plans for SEND, was due to be published.
That included plans to reassess children's education, health and care plans (EHCPs) - the legal documents setting out what support they are entitled to - after they leave primary school, and again after GCSEs.
That change could lead to fewer children retaining their EHCPs, which are an expensive part of the SEND system, into secondary school. Children in Year 6 in 2029 would be the first to be reviewed under the plans, ahead of starting secondary school in 2030.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r1pmz3zgzo
It includes £1.6bn over three years going directly to schools, early years settings and colleges and £1.8bn over the same period to provide more access to experts like specialist teachers and speech and language therapists.
The new money is part of a major SEND system overhaul, with government plans for a series of school reforms being published in full later.
Teaching unions said they would scrutinise the proposals closely, with one saying the money was "barely a drop in the bucket" of what was needed, due to "years of underfunding".
The latest funding announcement comes days after other details of the government's proposals were leaked before the Schools White Paper, the government's formal policy document setting out all its plans for SEND, was due to be published.
That included plans to reassess children's education, health and care plans (EHCPs) - the legal documents setting out what support they are entitled to - after they leave primary school, and again after GCSEs.
That change could lead to fewer children retaining their EHCPs, which are an expensive part of the SEND system, into secondary school. Children in Year 6 in 2029 would be the first to be reviewed under the plans, ahead of starting secondary school in 2030.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r1pmz3zgzo