The government’s Education White Paper, “Every Child Achieving and Thriving,” sets out the long-term plan to reform the education system to improve inclusive practice and outcomes for all children.
The White Paper responds to the many challenges facing the sector in areas such as attainment, disadvantage, children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and school attendance.
The White Paper sets out the expectation that all schools are equipped and funded to support children with SEND, and those who are disadvantaged in other ways, such as children from low-income households, to achieve and thrive in inclusive, local mainstream schools. To support this, the government has allocated an additional £4billion.
We submitted our plan to the Department for Education in June 2026 which outlined our plans to strengthen how we support children and young people with SEND in the most appropriate education setting for them.
What does this mean for Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCP’s)?
In future it is expected that more children will get the help they need from support available in inclusive mainstream schools without requiring an EHCP.
The proposals set out three layers of support for children who need additional help:
- Targeted Support, provided by the school
- Targeted Plus Support, with input from education and health professionals
- Specialist Support for children with the most complex needs, supported by an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
Any child with an EHCP (or who has been assessed as needing one) at the point legislation commences will keep their plan and its provision until they finish their current phase of education (for example, moving from Primary to secondary school).
When children move to the next phase of education at the end of primary, secondary and post-16, commencing from the 2029 to 2030 academic year, they will be reassessed using the three layers (above).
SEND Reforms (Dorset's Local Plan)
The proposed changes to Education, Health, and Care plans (EHCPs) are part of a wider SEND reform programme, also known as Dorset's Local Plan.
The plan is based on five key principles:
- Early – Children should receive the support they need as soon as possible
- Local – Children and young people should be able to learn close to their home, alongside their peers, rather than travelling long distances
- Fair – Where specialist provision is needed for children in mainstream, special or Alternative Provision, we will ensure it is there
- Effective – We will use evidence to make sure education settings can use approaches that we know will help children and young people learn, develop and achieve their potential
- Shared – we will work with our partners, education settings and with families
We have submitted our plan to the Department for Education for review. Once approved, we will begin implementing changes.
What is in our SEND Reform Plan (Local Plan)?
Our current plan focuses on:
- strengthening support in mainstream settings through three additional levels of provision: targeted, tarted plus and specialist
- implementing the Dorset Expertise Offer, giving schools access to specialist professionals such as speech and language therapists and educational psychologists
- establishing Inclusion Bases in every secondary school, and the same number of primary schools, to provide additional support while keeping children connected to the wider school community
- improving identification of SEND needs for the youngest children (Early Years), supported by having a SEND practitioner in Best Start Family Hubs and by using the VSEND tool more widely, which helps teachers understand what support a child may need and identify practical ways to help them learn at school and at home
- working closely with families and young people so that they are actively involved in shaping SEND services and reforms
Where can I find more information?
The Department for Education have prepared some guidance for families and professionals who may be affected by the reforms.
There is also a news article which provides our response to the Government's Education White Paper and SEND Reform consultation
You can also attend our Let's Talk SEND live sessions where we will be providing regular updates on the SEND reforms.