Bridget Phillipson’s SEND overhaul explained: why rising demand, fresh funding and new plans force a rethink of special educational needs

Why this matters now: England’s SEND system is being reworked after a long rise in demand and persistent parental complaints that support arrives late and only after a fight. bridget phillipson has set out a package that pairs new terminology and legal tweaks with a multi‑billion pound investment designed to slow the growth in EHCPs, expand help in mainstream schools and create on‑demand specialist services — all against a backdrop of politics and contested public debate about diagnosis and resource use.

Why Bridget Phillipson frames reform as necessary now

The reforms are presented as a response to rapid change in the number of pupils formally covered by EHCPs and to persistent feedback from parents and teachers. Until 2015 the proportion of pupils with EHCPs was relatively stable at 2. 8%; since then it has nearly doubled to 5. 3%. That rise has prompted concern that demand will outstrip capacity unless the system is reshaped. The national conversation — including public scepticism about diagnoses and a campaign example that sought a parent willing to complain about SEND spending for a £150 fee — has intensified pressure for clearer, earlier and more consistent support.

What the new architecture will look like

At the centre of the plan are several new elements of language and structure: individual support plans (ISPs), three tiers of support described as “targeted”, “targeted plus” and “specialist”, and new national inclusion standards. ISPs (individual support plans) will record a pupil’s needs, the day‑to‑day support they should receive and what that support aims to achieve. They are described as flexible, intended to operate alongside — not replace — EHCPs, which remain the legal framework that secures entitlement and for which local authorities remain responsible for implementation.

• Here’s the part that matters: ISPs are pitched as the routine, earlier response so that legal EHCPs are reserved for the most complex cases by design.

Key takeaways:

• Only the most complex cases will qualify for EHCPs by 2035.
• ISPs will set day‑to‑day support and outcomes for pupils without EHCPs.
• Parents can still apply for EHCPs and may challenge decisions at tribunal; local authorities continue to deliver EHCPs.
• New national inclusion standards and three support tiers aim to make help more consistent across areas.

Money, services and the promise of joined‑up help

The package pairs structural change with funding described as transformational: a headline investment of £4 billion sits alongside specific funds. An Inclusive Mainstream Fund of £1. 6 billion over three years is earmarked for early years, schools and colleges to give more timely interventions — for example small‑group language support, staff training to spot commonly occurring needs and adaptive teaching styles. Separately, an Experts at Hand service will receive £1. 8 billion over three years to create local pools of specialists, including SEND teachers and speech and language therapists, that schools can draw on regardless of whether a child has an EHCP.

These commitments are presented as complementary to a further record increase for high‑needs funding of £3. 5 billion in 2028 to 2029 over and above Autumn Budget 25 allocations. Building blocks already cited include training for every teacher and 60, 000 new specialist places intended to reduce postcode variability in access to support so more children can remain at their local school.

Schedule, reassessments and the longer timeline

Two timeline anchors matter: a reassessment point beginning in September 2029 and a policy horizon out to 2035. Children who already have an EHCP, or who have been assessed as needing one, will keep their plan until they finish the educational phase they are in (for example primary or secondary). Reassessments will begin from September 2029 — for instance, pupils who are now in Year 2 would be reassessed when they reach Year 6. The plan aims to allow the proportion of pupils with EHCPs to grow in the near term while reforms are implemented, but to slow that growth and return the share to earlier levels by 2035.

It’s easy to overlook, but the proposals also formalise distinctions between flexible day‑to‑day support (ISPs) and legally enforceable entitlements (EHCPs), a shift with potential consequences for families and local services.

Practical implications and political risk

For parents, the changes mean earlier, more routine support through ISPs alongside continued access to EHCP applications and tribunal challenge. For schools, the funding and Experts at Hand service aim to make specialist help available on demand. For local authorities, responsibility for delivering EHCPs remains unchanged even as eligibility narrows. The strategy emphasises mainstream inclusion, reversing previous trends: between 2012 and 2019 the number of children with SEND in mainstream schools fell by almost a quarter while those in special schools rose by nearly a third — a shift the reforms aim to counter.

Political contingency is explicit: the 10‑year plan is described as generous in places but vulnerable to reversal if the political landscape changes. Pushback is anticipated from some high‑performing academies and free schools focused on discipline and attainment, while the government highlights parents’ repeated message that support currently arrives too late and only after a fight, which the reforms aim to address.

If you’re wondering why this keeps coming up, the package tries to reconcile spending to expand early support with long‑term limits on formal entitlements — a balancing act that will show its effects as reassessments roll out from 2029 and funding is deployed in local areas.

Micro timeline:

• Until 2015: EHCP share stable at 2. 8%.
• Post‑2015 to present: EHCP share rose to about 5. 3%.
• From September 2029: reassessments begin for children finishing their education phase; policy goal to narrow EHCP eligibility by 2035.