OCEM Statement: Response to the recent SEND white paper
The Government has finally published its long-awaited Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, on 23 February 2026. It sets out significant proposals to reform the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system in England. OCEM welcomes the opportunity to reflect on these proposals and to consider what they may mean for the children and young people we support.
What is being proposed?
The publication of the White Paper does not change existing SEND law. Children and young people's legal rights to support remain in place. However, the proposals, if enacted, would represent the most substantial restructuring of the SEND system since the Children and Families Act 2014.
The centrepiece of the reform is a new three-tier model of support. The Department for Education's new system will start with a universal offer for all children, setting a new baseline for mainstream schools, with most children expected to have their needs met under this tier. Above this, a targeted intervention tier would serve pupils with ongoing needs that cannot be met universally, with each pupil's needs captured in a new Individual Support Plan (ISP).
EHCPs will be kept for the most complex cases, providing a wider legal entitlement beyond the new ISPs, with transitions between EHCPs and ISPs beginning in 2030, and children currently on an EHCP keeping them until they reach the next stage of their education, where reassessments will happen from 2029. The existing statutory SEND Code of Practice will be updated and consulted on. There will also be a new requirement for all settings to ensure staff receive training on SEND and inclusion.
What will be the support to children with SEND?
OCEM recognises that the current system has left too many children and young people without timely, adequate support. The Department for Education has acknowledged that over 70 percent of children in schools with additional needs do not currently have access to legally enforceable rights to ensure their support, equating to over one million children. The introduction of ISPs for this group has the potential to bring greater consistency and visibility to the support they receive. The proposed emphasis on early identification, inclusive practice in mainstream settings, and multi-agency collaboration aligns closely with the values and ways of working that OCEM has long championed.
What are the concerns?
OCEM shares the concerns raised by many in the SEND community. Parents of children with SEND are already living with considerable anxiety about the future for their children, and they will need reassurance that any changes to EHCPs will still mean their child receives the right support, and that this support will be properly accountable. The eligibility criteria for EHCPs under the new system are not yet fully clear.
What happens next?
There is now a 12-week consultation period during which families, charities, and professionals can respond and influence what happens next. Only after consultation would any proposed changes move into draft legislation, which would then need to go through Parliament. The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 18 May 2026.
OCEM strongly encourages all parents, carers, and professionals working with children and young people with SEND to engage with the consultation and make their voices heard. We will be submitting our own response, centred on the experiences of the children and young people we work with every day.