Send White Paper 2026 puts £4bn pledge at heart of Starmer’s education moment
Ministers will unveil the send white paper 2026, a multibillion-pound overhaul that pledges £4bn to transform special educational needs and disabilities support in schools in England and redraw who is entitled to an education, health and care plan.
Send White Paper 2026: £4bn pledge and tighter EHCP rules
Ministers say the overhaul is a "generational" change, pledging £4bn to boost specialist provision and warning councils they could lose control of Send services if they fail to meet their legal duties. Schools will receive additional funding for specialised support, while criteria for education, health and care plans (EHCP) will be tightened so they are reserved for children with the most severe and complex needs.
The proposals also promise tailored specialist support in all mainstream schools and 60, 000 additional special needs school places, and they envisage new plans for children on lower tiers that still confer additional support and legal rights. Parents have raised concerns that those rights will be reviewed when children arrive at secondary school, and the changes would mean parents are no longer given a free choice of any school but will instead receive a list of possibilities; appeals will be allowed and the Send tribunal can ask local authorities to reconsider.
Phillipson’s listening drive and the 60, 000 places
Bridget Phillipson delayed the changes last autumn after a ferocious backlash from MPs and parents, then led a major listening drive aimed at smoothing the proposals with families and with MPs. Phillipson said the move would be "improved support, not removed support" and called it a once-in-a-generation moment to "define the future of education, " while promising tailored specialist help for mainstream schools and the 60, 000 extra places.
MPs who had been wary told journalists they were privately optimistic that their concerns had been heard and that the vast majority of cases, especially for poorer children, would receive improved provision, while cautioning that detail in the full white paper could still change that picture.
Starmer vows no child with special needs will be left behind
Keir Starmer has framed the overhaul as a personal and political priority, summing up the commitment in the headline line: "Keir Starmer: I’ll ensure no child with special needs is left behind. " He said he had closely observed engagement with parents and urged that "getting the right support should never be a battle – it should be a given. "
Starmer added that there should be "no more ‘one size fits all’ system that only serves children who fit the mould" and argued families must get "tailored support built around their child’s individual needs, available on their doorstep. " He also spoke of his late brother Nick, who had learning difficulties and whose struggles "just to be seen" he said provided personal inspiration for the reforms. Starmer wrote that "My brother Nick had so much to contribute to Britain" and argued where possible and right those children belong in mainstream schooling.
Political risks: rebellions, a by-election and reshuffle talk
A royal arrest and a new cabinet secretary welcomed the prime minister back from recess week, but he returns facing a crucial by-election and the task of delivering the send white paper 2026 amid lingering political risk. Commentators note the system’s pressures and ask whether the system, and its costs, are spiralling out of control; some question whether the government can learn from previous rebellions to get tricky legislation through or whether the plans will become another flashpoint for dissent.
Discussion has also touched on senior Whitehall figures: Antonia Romeo has been named the newly appointed head of the civil service and is already under pressure over an alleged cover-up, while certain government departments are said to be talking about a potential reshuffle. Broad public discussion of the proposals is occurring on a podcast where Sam and Anne examine the details of the SEND white paper in England and debate the challenges facing the reforms.
What comes next
Ministers will unveil the full white paper in the coming days as the next confirmed step, and that publication is the point at which the detailed legal and operational changes will be set out. The shake-up is described as coming amid "record d" in one account — unclear in the provided context — and campaigners, parents and MPs will be watching the published text for the final detail that could determine whether previously wary MPs stay on board or move toward rebellion.
The immediate confirmed milestone is the ministers' unveiling of the send white paper 2026; after that, appeals and tribunal procedures, local authority duties and implementation timelines will follow as set out in the published document.
