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Government Plans Four-Tier SEND Overhaul Limiting EHCPs to Unmet Needs

Final details will be set out in February’s Schools White Paper.

Claire Walley, from The SEN Expert, has spent 16 years in education, holding senior leadership in SEND roles in disadvantaged and underfunded areas (Photo: provided)
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Overview

  • Reporting outlines a four-tier mainstream support model with EHCPs reserved for needs not met within the tiers, with some severe conditions reportedly qualifying for plans from birth.
  • Ministers aim to educate more SEND pupils in mainstream settings and have allocated £200m for teacher training to support the shift.
  • Budget watchdogs flag significant funding pressures, including an OBR-estimated £6bn gap by 2028–29 and an NAO projection that SEND transport could cost councils £3bn annually by 2030.
  • The reforms are not expected to take effect before the 2029–30 school year, and key transition rules for existing EHCP holders and transport remain unclear.
  • Parents and specialists warn of slower access to specialist help, greater strain on teachers and a likely rise in tribunal appeals, where parents reportedly win the vast majority of cases.