SEND shake-up: EHCPs could be phased out in favour of in-school support units
New government plans aim to simplify SEND support, but parents warn children’s rights must not be lost
The Government is planning major changes to how children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are supported in schools – and it could mean the end of EHCPs for many families.
As reported in The i newspaper, under proposals expected to be laid out in a white paper this autumn, ministers want to expand SEND units in mainstream schools, aiming to reduce the need for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which are currently vital for accessing council-funded support.
What’s changing – and why?
It is understood that at the heart of the Government’s plan is a shift away from relying on EHCPs to access support, and instead investing in specialist SEND provision directly within mainstream schools. The Department for Education (DfE) says this would remove the need for many families to go through what’s currently seen as an exhausting and often adversarial process to secure an EHCP.
Speaking to The i newspaper, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the reforms are about “tilting” provision back into mainstream settings, with funding going into classroom-based support. A Government official added that the current system – which often results in children being placed in expensive, privately run SEND schools – “is not delivering good outcomes” and “is financially unsustainable”.
According to the latest DfE data, there are now 638,700 children with EHCPs – a 10.8% rise in just one year. Without reform, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warns that council SEND spending could rise from £3.3bn to £8bn by 2028.
What could replace EHCPs?
It's understood that the government plans to boost in-school support by expanding SEND units and upskilling all teachers to be better equipped to support children with additional needs.
Last December, the Government committed £740 million to creating 10,000 new SEND places in mainstream schools. And more recently, Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged £760 million over two years to further reform the system.
Under the new model, only children with the most complex needs would still receive an EHCP, while others would access support through these new units, staff training and what the DfE describes as “inclusive classroom adaptation”.
One system that ministers are said to be looking at closely is in Ontario, Canada, where all SEND children receive tailored support plans, but formal care plans are only required for pupils with significant needs.
Parents and campaigners speak out
While the Government insists it’s not cutting existing support, families and campaign groups remain deeply concerned that rights could be lost in the process.
“Parents will not stop fighting against support being removed until we have nothing else left,” said Hayley Harding, mum of two SEND children and founder of the campaign group Let Us Learn Too. “We’d much rather that Bridget Phillipson and her team just sat down and talked to us about what they are planning though. So much of this could then be avoided.”
Let Us Learn Too has already vowed to consider legal action if needed, and plans a rally for September.
Meanwhile, the group Save Our Children’s Rights added: “The idea that ‘units’ could somehow replace or supersede EHCPs and the rights they embody is worrying and wrong. The rights that have been a cornerstone of provision for 40 years will remain the only sure way of securing what individual SEND children need in mainstream schools.”
Labour MP Helen Hayes, chair of the Education Select Committee, urged the Government to be transparent: “Ad hoc announcements and rumours about what’s to come are only increasing the fear and anxiety of families who are already being let down.”
What support is available now?
For the time being, nothing has changed for families. EHCPs are still in place and legally binding – and are currently the only formal route to guaranteed support in school. However, the rise in EHCP applications and record SEND tribunal cases (24,000 last year) reflects growing frustration with the current system.
In response to these challenges, the DfE has launched a new initiative called Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS), which will bring health professionals, education specialists and expert parents into schools to help train staff and embed inclusive practice.
Downing Street has insisted that no child will lose support: “We are very much aware of the battle that parents face to fight for support,” said a spokesperson. “That’s why we are listening to them and looking at how we can make this system work better.”
What’s next?
The full details of the proposed SEND reform are due to be published in a white paper this autumn. Until then, parents and professionals alike are being left in the dark, and many remain sceptical.
Campaigners are calling for the Government to work with families, not against them.
As Hayley Harding puts it: “The Ontario model does put children and families at the centre. If that’s genuinely what this is about, then show us how, and talk to the people living this reality every day.”
We’ll update this story as soon as more details of the SEND reforms are officially announced.
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Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.