(UK) Govt officials hopeful about reforms for SPED; schools to be "more inclusive"
- Feb 26
- 3 min read
Feb 23, 2026, UK Independent: Starmer sets out reforms to address failing special needs education
The current system for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) “does not work”, Sir Keir Starmer said, as he set out a £4 billion [$5.4B] reform package.
Mainstream schools in England will receive direct funding to support Send children as part of a plan to make the system more inclusive.
Targeted interventions such as small-group language work will be invested in, as well as help for staff to introduce adaptive teaching styles, as part of a major Government overhaul.
Some £1.6 billion [$2.2B] over three years will be provided to early years, schools and colleges through an “inclusive mainstream fund”.
Another £1.8 billion [$2.4BB] over the same period will go towards creating an “experts at hand” service, made up of specialists such as Send teachers and speech and language therapists in every area.
Schools will be able to draw from this bank on demand regardless of whether pupils have education, health and care plans (EHCPs) – legal documents setting out the support children with Send are entitled to – the Department for Education (DfE) said. . . .
A further £200 million [$271M] will be invested in Send outreach teams for communities, and another £200 million for local authorities to “transform how they operate in line with our reforms while maintaining current Send services”, the DfE said.
At a breakfast meeting with school leaders and charities in Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: “For so many children, they are held back by a system that doesn’t work for them.” . . .
The Prime Minister said he was “very keen” on offering a broader curriculum “giving children the chance to do things they wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to do, including a broader curriculum that allows them to play music, to study art and drama, to be included in other things that allow them to build the confidence that they need”.
Sir Keir added: “You can’t have high standards if you don’t have inclusion – they’re two sides of the same coin, and therefore we have to reform special educational needs.
“This is the issue that’s come up at Prime Minister’s Questions more than any other, from all political parties in all parts of the country. That is really unusual, and that tells you something about the fact that the system does not work as it is.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it was a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity for reform.
She told the No 10 event the reforms will “deliver better life chances for children”.
Ms Phillipson said: “That has been the driving principle behind all of this, how we make sure that every child in our country can achieve and thrive.
“And I’m confident that what we’re setting out today gives us that opportunity and will give the next generation a better chance than those who have gone before.”
But NASUWT general secretary Matt Wrack said the idea that Send provision could be adequately overhauled with “this low level of funding” was “ridiculous”.
“While increased early support for Send is welcome, years of underfunding and diminished external services mean that this new funding is barely a drop in the bucket of the investment necessary to drive real improvement in schools,” he said.
Children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said the wider schools white paper was an “important first step” and that the Government was “listening”.
“I will be closely scrutinising the detail of these proposals and making sure children’s voices are heard during the consultation process,” she said.
Public service union Unison said the broad themes of the Government’s plans were encouraging, but the money “has to go where it’s needed” and “exactly how that will happen under these new plans is not clear”. . . . .
A spokesperson for the charity said any extra funding was welcome, but added: “We’re concerned the Government’s reforms aren’t anywhere near enough to fix the broken Send system that’s been buckling under pressure for years.”
The Tories said the announcement lacked clarity, and that families should be given “cast-iron guarantees” that no child with an EHCP would lose support that parents have fought for.
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