The UK education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has announced major reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send) provision in England, significantly altering how support will be allocated to children in need. The new approach will limit education, health and care plans (EHCPs) to only those children facing particularly severe or complex needs. This decision responds to a growing concern regarding the soaring number of EHCPs, which has contributed to substantial financial challenges for local authorities, burdened by the costs associated with these plans.

Under the new system, the estimated 270,000 children who would traditionally qualify for EHCPs will instead receive individual support plans (ISPs), which will provide a less intensive set of supports tailored through discussions with schools. These ISPs may include additional resources such as access to psychologists, therapists, and the establishment of ‘inclusion bases’ within schools. This strategy aims to make provisions more sustainable and effective without overextending local authority budgets, which currently face a multibillion-pound deficit due in part to EHCP-related expenditures.

The government's projections indicate a considerable reduction in the percentage of pupils receiving EHCPs, expected to diminish from almost 8% of pupils by 2029-30 to below 5% by 2034-35. This realignment of educational support aims to address the rising trend of EHCP demand, while also ensuring that resources are more equitably distributed across the educational system. However, the challenge remains to adequately support all students with special educational needs while maintaining financial viability for local authorities, setting the stage for ongoing debates about the adequacy of these changes and their anticipated impact on families and children across England.