The Schools White Paper, published on Monday, 23 February, sets out a new framework for how children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are identified, assessed, and supported – backed by a £4 billion investment.
At its core, the reforms introduce a new layered system of support designed to ensure children receive help earlier, without having to fight for it. The government says the most consistent issue raised by parents during its national SEND conversation was that "support is currently provided too late and even then, only after a fight."
The proposals have been broadly welcomed locally. Claire Smith, chairwoman of the Suffolk Parent Carer Forum (SPCF), said: "It is clear that voices have been heard. The current system is ineffective and inefficient. Accountability is imperative for us all."
A spokesperson for the Suffolk Local Area Partnership – which includes Suffolk County Council, local Integrated Care Boards, the SPCF and education settings – also welcomed the reforms, particularly the focus on earlier intervention.
"It is an important opportunity to plan what services in Suffolk will look like in the future and improve how we meet the needs of our children and young people with SEND," the spokesperson said.
How will the new system work?
Under the proposals, support will be structured in tiers rather than the current binary system, which has often meant families either manage with little formal support or pursue an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – a process that has frequently proved lengthy and adversarial.
The new framework begins with a universal offer, which sets a baseline for all mainstream schools. Most children, the government says, should have their needs met at this level, with teachers trained to support a wider range of needs.
Above this sit three interlocking layers of support. The first, "targeted", is intended for pupils with ongoing needs that cannot be met by the universal offer alone. This might include small group interventions or pre-teaching key vocabulary. Each child at this level will receive a new Individual Support Plan (ISP) – a digital document outlining their needs and provision, reviewed at least once a year.
The second layer, "targeted plus", gives schools access to a new "Experts at Hand" service – a bank of specialists including educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists that schools can draw on regardless of whether a child has an EHCP. According to the government, once rolled out, an average secondary school will receive more than 160 days' worth of dedicated specialist time per year.
The third layer, "specialist", is for the most complex cases, and is where EHCPs will continue to sit.
What happens to EHCPs?
This is likely to be the most sensitive aspect of the reforms for many families. Under the proposals, EHCPs will, from 2035, be reserved for only the most complex cases and will be supported by a legally binding specialist provision package.
Children who currently hold an EHCP, or are assessed as needing one, will keep it until they reach their next educational transition point – such as moving from primary to secondary school. From 2029, EHCPs will be reassessed at that transition point.
Significantly, all children in year three and above today will retain their existing EHCP until at least the age of 16.
Smith acknowledged that these changes were likely to cause concern. "The proposed changes to EHCPs may naturally cause anxiety for families," she said. "The proposals are not final, and nothing will change for families immediately."
The government's own projections suggest the number of children with EHCPs will continue to rise over the next three years before returning to roughly current levels by 2035.
Where is the money going?
The £4 billion package is divided between several areas. Some £1.6 billion will go directly to early years settings, schools and colleges over three years through a new Inclusive Mainstream Fund. A further £1.8 billion will fund the Experts at Hand service. An additional £200 million is earmarked for Best Start Family Hubs, and a further £200 million will go to local authorities to help them implement the changes.
The situation in Suffolk
The reforms arrive at a particularly pressured moment for Suffolk. As of March last year, the county council was delivering 10,625 EHCPs – 2,289 more than the previous year – to support around 25,000 children with SEND across the county.
Financially, the authority faces a £74.5 million overspend within its SEND services and was, until recently, staring down a £168 million deficit in its Dedicated Schools Grant – the portion of its budget earmarked for education. The government announced earlier this month that it would write off just over £150 million of that historic debt, though the council has warned that financial pressure remains.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, the council paid out more than £340,000 in compensation following a 40% rise in complaints, the majority of which related to SEND services. Some 84% of children's services complaints were fully or partially upheld.
What happens next?
The white paper is subject to a public consultation and will require debate in both the Houses of Commons and the Lords before any legislation is passed. Most changes are expected to take effect from 2029 at the earliest.
The Suffolk Local Area Partnership said it would receive detailed briefings from the government throughout this week to better understand the proposals, before developing plans with partners to introduce them in line with the government's timetable.
Smith encouraged families to take time to read the white paper and share their thoughts with the SPCF, so that feedback could be passed to the Department for Education and the National Parent Carer Forum.
The bottom line
After years of rising demand, damning inspections, and mounting financial strain, the white paper represents a significant shift in direction for the SEND system – one that Suffolk's parent carers and local partners have cautiously welcomed. But with most changes not taking effect until 2029, and key details still to be resolved through consultation, families in the county face a period of uncertainty. The proposals are not final, nothing changes immediately, and the harder work of turning policy into practice is still to come.
