SEND investment to support inclusion in every school and community

The government has announced a £4 billion investment to reform support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), alongside the publication of its forthcoming schools white paper, Every child achieving and thriving.

The announcement, made by the Department for Education, sets out what the government describes as “generational reforms” aimed at improving early support, strengthening mainstream provision, and ending what it sees as a one-size-fits-all approach to SEND.

According to the Department for Education, the reforms respond to consistent feedback from parents that support is often provided too late and only after prolonged disputes. The new investment is intended to rebuild confidence in the SEND system and improve outcomes for children regardless of whether they have an education, health and care plan (EHCP).

A central element of the package is a new Inclusive Mainstream Fund, worth £1.6 billion over three years, which will be provided directly to early years settings, schools and colleges. The fund is intended to support early intervention, including small-group support, adaptive teaching approaches, and staff training to identify and respond to commonly occurring needs.

The government has also announced £1.8 billion over three years for a new ‘Experts at Hand’ service. Under this model, local authorities will commission specialist support, such as educational psychology, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy that schools can draw on as needed, regardless of whether a child has an EHCP. The Department for Education estimates that, once fully rolled out, an average secondary school will have access to the equivalent of more than 160 days of specialist support each year.

Further measures include:

• Over £200 million to provide dedicated SEND outreach and support through Best Start Family Hubs in every community
• £200 million to support local authorities to transform their SEND services while maintaining existing provision
• £200 million to fund the largest ever SEND-focused teacher training programme, with a new requirement for all teachers to be trained to support pupils with SEND
• Continued capital investment to deliver 60,000 SEND places, including specialist provision and inclusion bases within mainstream schools

The Department for Education says the reforms aim to reduce the need for children to travel long distances to access suitable provision, enabling more pupils to attend local schools alongside their peers.

Read the full announcement here

Kerry Booth, Chief Executive, Rural Services Network: This commitment to strengthening early and inclusive SEND support reflects an important principle we set out in our Delivering for All roadmap, that every person, in every place, deserves the opportunity to thrive. For children and families in rural areas, timely access to specialist support can make a great difference. Where needs are met locally and early, it not only improves outcomes for young people but can also reduce the need for long journeys and ease pressures on home-to-school transport in more dispersed communities. Rural councils are determined to play their part in delivering inclusive education. Ensuring that funding and implementation recognise the realities of distance, sparsity and delivery costs will help make these reforms work effectively for children in villages, market towns and rural communities across England.