Mainstream state schools will get a share of £1.6 billion over the next three years to support greater inclusion in schools as part of a total £4 billion package to reform the SEND system, it has been announced by the government.
The “inclusive mainstream fund will be paid to early years providers, schools and colleges and is to be spent on targeted help and small groups interventions when potential special needs are identified.
A further £1.8 billion fund to provide better access to external support using “experts at hand” – a bank of specialists in every area whose support schools can draw from regardless of whether pupils have an EHCP.
These will include experts such as speech therapists, educational psychologists and specialist SEND teachers, who will be commissioned by councils to support schools.
Getting the right support should never be a battle – it should be a given
Further details of reforms to SEND will be outlined today in the Department for Education’s Schools White Paper Every child Achieving and Thriving. This will include the controversial issue of the future of EHCPs, which may need to be reviewed when pupils move to secondary school.
Support for all children
It is expected that only pupils with the most complex needs will have EHCPs in future. Children with SEND will continue to have legal rights to support through Individual Support Plans.
The aim of the reforms is to ensure all children are supported, and not just those with an EHCP.
The £4 billion spending plan includes £200 million that has already been revealed, which will be spent delivering new training on SEND and inclusion for teachers.
Commenting on the funding announcement, Keir Starmer, the prime minister, said: “I’ve heard, first hand, the struggles and exhaustion faced by too many parents who feel they have to fight the system to get their child the support they need.
“But getting the right support should never be a battle – it should be a given.
“That means no more ‘one size fits all’ system that only serves children who fit the mould. Instead, families will get tailored support built around their child’s individual needs, available on their doorstep.”
No limits on pupil achievement
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said: “Children with SEND deserve a system that lifts them up, and that puts no limit on what they can go on to achieve.
“That means brilliant teachers and experts providing support where children need it, when they need it – in their local school, without families having to fight.”
The government recently announced that it will also be covering 90% of councils’ SEND deficits up to the end of 2025-26, which are expected to total more than £5 billion.
