Schools White Paper | February 2026

The Government has published it's Schools White Paper and an accompanying SEND consultation. BSL and Easy Read versions of the white paper are avaulable and a braille version on request. 

The white paper and accompanying documents set out the government’s vision for schools and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform to support every child to achieve and thrive.

‘Every child achieving and thriving’ outlines the Government's ambition to improve the lives of all children and young people by

• shifting children’s school experience from narrow to broad
• ensuring those who have been sidelined are included
• taking children and communities from withdrawn to engaging with school

This is supported by the Governments plans to rercuit 6500 more teachers. 

The SEND reform: putting children and young people first consultation outlines the Government's proposed reforms and asks a series of questions to get the views of everyone with an interest. VODG will be responding to this consultation and working wth our Children and Young people's Special Interest Group to gather views. 

Key takeaways

With thanks to Dehavilland, please find below a short summary of key take aways from this week's announcements:

• Plans for SEND reform will see a set of National Inclusion Standards established by 2028, which will underpin a nationally consistent understanding of the best way to support SEND pupils and forms the basis for subsequent reforms.
• All SEND pupils will be entitled to Individual Support Plans (ISPs), developed with parents in their settings, and reviewed annually. Specialist Support will be reserved for those with the most complex needs following the designation of a Specialist Provision Package, drawn up by a panel of experts.
• Plans will see a set of National Inclusion Standards established by 2028 which will underpin a nationally consistent understanding of the best way to support SEND pupils.
• Schools will be required to proactively plan the support they provide for SEND pupils through a new duty to produce an annual Inclusion Strategy. This will be supported by £1.6 billion over three years from 2026-27 for an Inclusive Mainstream Fund to aid schools, colleges and early years settings in producing these.
• Specialist Support will be reserved for those with the most complex needs following the designation of a Specialist Provision Package, drawn up by a panel of experts.
• Children and young people will be able to switch between these levels of support as and when their needs change.
• Over three years, a £1.8 billion “Experts at Hand” package will seek to provide on-site access to specialist professionals in mainstream settings.

• For wider school reform, proposed changes to the National Funding Formula for schools would abandon the School Meals eligibility in favour of using income data, to be consulted on in the summer.
• All schools will be expected to join or form “high-quality” multi-academy trusts within a shared governance and accountability framework. Local authorities will gain new powers to establish trusts and work through local area partnerships, signalling a shift towards more coordinated local oversight.

• The SEND reform consultation outlines the Government’s vision for reform in five parts, detailing how the system will work and the mechanisms that will be used to hold it to account.

  • It sets out how a ‘Universal Offer’ of high-quality teaching and support for all will be supported by National Inclusion Standards, backed by a £15 million project to build its evidence base and deliver it by 2028.

  • A further £4 million is being spent by UKRI on a project to improve the identification of special educational needs. These Standards will establish a nationally consistent understanding of the best way to support SEND pupils across settings and forms the basis for subsequent proposed reforms.

  • As part of the plans, teachers will receive additional training to support students, and schools will be required to “proactively plan” their support through a new duty to produce an annual Inclusion Strategy, replacing current SEN Information Reports. Ofsted will be assessing how leaders ensure the Inclusion Strategy is embedded in practice, and how staff are equipped to deliver it. To help schools meet these duties, £1.6 billion is being invested in an Inclusive Mainstream Fund over three years from 2026-27.

• The next few years will see much engagement with the sector through a series of consultations before the implementation of the National Inclusion Standards in 2028 and the first reforms of the SEND system in September 2029.