SEND Reform: Putting my Child Last

Written on 23rd February 2026

I've avoided all forms of media so that I could sit down and (skim) read through the two documents published by the Department of Education today and form my own opinions of the contents.

To begin with, I'm struggling to work out how this will actually be delivered and what it will look like? For context I have an 8-year-old PDA / Autistic son. He currently has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and attends mainstream school with 1:1 support throughout the entire school day. We live in an area that has a three-tier education system. We are currently in an age phase transition year (i.e., First school to Middle school year 4 to year 5 in September 2026). This means that when the new changes come into force in September 2029, he will have entered the next stage of education transition - that being middle school to high school (year 8 to year 9).



With this week's government announcements, his EHCP potentially will be reassessed, highly likely to be downgraded to the government's proposal of an Individual Support Plan (ISP). I'm absolutely terrified that he will lose his EHCP and thus his support - be thrust into an overwhelming big high school without adequate support or infrastructure in place. What's more, there has been no mention of what happens to those of us in the three-tier system.



Based on the current political climate, what happens if we get a new government? There must be a general election before August 2029 at the latest. Do we all go back to the drawing board and start again and try and come up with something better and (less expensive)?



In looking at some of the details of the White Paper, I am also unclear about how the Inclusion Hubs will work. From what I understand, these hubs are to be funded by the schools themselves? Where exactly are they planned to be built? Aporta-cabin tucked away in a corner? A repurposed windowless, stationary cupboard turned into a sensory room? Will it be an all or nothing place? Can it be accessed alongside the classroom when needed or is it a place you get to visit with a 'time out' card but once your 10 minutes are up and you've had your allocated time to re-regulate then it's back to the mainstream classroom? What then happens if it is a 'come-and-go' type of access and then it reaches max capacity, what then?



I want to ask where are these additional SEN places coming from? The schools in our local area are already oversubscribed. Will schools be expanding their intake? Will they close the independent special schools and attempt to integrate them into an already crowded, inner-city campus? The government note that they "will invest 3.7 billion from now until 2030 to create tens of thousands of new places in Inclusion Bases in mainstream settings, make buildings accessible and create new special school places.” (P10 SEND Reform). Does my son ‘qualify’ for one of these places? Can he still access the mainstream classroom? Is it one or the other?



Yes, I totally get that councils are wasting so much money on tribunals but taking away parents' ability to fight for their child will only widen the gap between the educators and the carers. The dilution of an EHCP into an ISP is not the answer at such a crucial stage in my child's education. How can I complain and hold people to account if the system lets him down? I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN.



I am desperate to find the positives here. Yes, I want my child educated in a mainstream school. I also want to be able to choose which school that is. A right I will lose under the new system.

The amount of money being invested sounds impressive - set to be billions of pounds over the next few years - however, I fear it will not go anywhere near far enough the level of infrastructure that is actually needed to make mainstream fully inclusive. Particularly once that money is divided between every education provider from early years provision to 16+ Further Education. By then, it will have become a paltry sum.

Furthermore, unless my eyesight fails me - I cannot find any mention of what is in place for children who cannot learn in a school environment? Nothing about Education Otherwise / EOTIS / EOTAS. Has the been completely removed from the table? The silence on this subject is deafening. Particularly with the rise in EBSA (Emotional Based School Absence).



My overall feeling is that rather than the bespoke support that my son currently needs and receives, this reform will be a diluted version, with zero accountability, lack of resources, personnel, and facilities. I will have very little influence as a parent and the 'fully inclusive mainstream' offering is just more rules and regulations on attendance, behaviour, homework... more demands not more flexibility.



As a single solo mum trying to survive on benefits, with my son defined as pupil premium, white working class with special educational needs, his projected education outcomes are not looking favourable if you look at the government statistics. I feel so frustrated that despite my son and I sitting round a table with the Secretary of State for Education and the Schools Minister on separate occasions, passionately sharing our experiences to date and expressing what we need, these pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Politicians paying lip service when this isn’t about reform - it's about saving money and generalising support to cover more pupils. 



Right now the only way I can see MY CHILD ACHIEVING AND THRIVING under this reform is by electively home educating.